Beyond the shadows
by Kitten
Summary: Someone stalks her every movement, preparing to strike. Tanith returns to Domino and springs his trap. Who is this hunter? What does he want? Only inside will you learn what is beyond the shadows.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

__

Everything had to be perfect. The clothes, the furniture. All had to be flawless for the plan to work. 

He walked through the backward Z shaped room, through the stain glass paneled door with it's two matching side units. He glanced through the box window with the prairie style two mullions. He ran a hand over the medium oak dresser full of clothes her size. He glanced over the canopy twin bed with its spider web designs, black velvet comforter and white sheets with gray vines that went with the black and white stacked pillows.

He was impressed at his work and felt she too would be impressed. 

Now all he had to do was wait. Wait for her to come back to Domino City and to him.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dearest Bakura,

I am pleased to announce that my business at Duelist Kingdom has been concluded and I may return to my home in Domino City. Now that that's out of the way, how have ya been? You don't write, you don't call. Of course me returning the Millennium Eye to Pegasus might be a good reason why you haven't done those things. You're still not sore about that are you? Well anyway, I'll see you and the others in two days. My flight is number 1117 (or Funny Bunny One, as my boss calls his private jet. Myself I don't see why a grown man has a thing for cartoons. Do you?)

With love, Tanith.

PS. Ignore that love thing. I don't miss you that much


	2. Welcome home

The dream began as it always had. There was screaming in the night. The scent of blood filled the air as she rose to her feet and padded silently to the doorway to the outside.

What the little girl saw made her want to cry. 

Bodies filled the sandy streets and were gathered by shadowy soldiers. Cries of mercy were answered by cutting blows. Everywhere around her were bodies falling down like life sized dolls. 

Her blood red hair whipped in the death scented breeze as a shadow approached her and she began to scream…

Tanith Rivencroft awoke with a gasp as the plane began to land. Strapped across from her in the jet was Croquet, her boss's right hand man. A man that Pegasus trusted to return her to her home in Domino City without mishap. He slept peacefully unaware of Tanith's fright.

For a moment more her lapis lazuli eyes her clouded with the faint memory of nightmares that plagued her for two weeks. Then as she took in more of her quiet surrounding, reality came back to her. She was coming home, home to him. Bakura.

She brushed back her blood red hair from her face with a sigh. It had grown down passed her shoulders and halfway down her back. Most of it hung in a braid but short strands that used to be black hung down in her face.

"I wonder what Bakura's up to about now?" she mused aloud.

Right then Bakura was pacing in front of the airport gate where Tanith was supposed to come out from. His twin in everything except personality, Ryou sat in a chair watching his yami pace in front of him. 

On the other side of the white haired teen with brown eyes, were Yugi and Yami. Both had purplish red, black and golden blond tricolored hair that stuck out at all sides. The same violet eyes, Yami's a tad more red. The only real difference between the two was Yugi was shorter and Yami had a taste for more chains. 

"Where in Ra's name is she!" Bakura fumed. Yugi went to open his mouth to say something but Yami slapped his hand over his mouth and shook his head. He couldn't stop Ryou.

"Probably still on the plane." He replied. Bakura spun and glared at his hikari, Ryou cringed.

"If she's not here in five minutes I'm leaving." Bakura swore.

Yugi reached over and tugged on Ryou's shirt and whispered, "Would he really do that?"

"No." Ryou replied, "All he's been talking about for three days is _Tanith's coming, Tanith's coming!_"

"You'd think he likes her or something." Yami said.

"I heard that pharaoh!" Bakura snapped stopping right in front of him. "I do _not_ like her in that way. She's my hitokage and nothing more."

Yami nodded sagelike, "Right and I bet you didn't peek in on her while she took a shower that time at Yugi's."

Bakura seemed to blush, "I did not."

Ryou started snickering along with Yugi and Yami.

"Flight 1117 is now unloading at gate 644B, Flight 1117 is now unloading at gate 644B" came the sudden announcement and Bakura swore.

"Crap! We're clear across the airport from her!" he shouted and began running toward Tanith's correct gate.

"Bakura wait up!" Ryou cried as him and the others jumped up and began racing after the yami.

***********************************************************************************

Tanith stepped off of the plane and followed Croquet out into the empty gate. She was rather annoyed that the control tower first told them to be at one gate and then told them to move to a more secluded one clear across from where she told Bakura.

_Something's not right. _She thought as she stepped out of the ramp.

Almost immediately Tanith saw Croquet freeze in his tracks and something was slipped firmly over her head. She gasped in the deadly fumes coming from the hood and struggled against the person that held her arms down beside her.

Slowly and surely, Tanith felt herself weakening. Her knees turn to jelly, her eyes began to droop. Her last thought before she slipped into the darkness of unconsciousness was _Help me Bakura…_

Help me Bakura

He heard the weak plea even though they no longer shared a body. As he raced even harder toward the gate Bakura wondered how it was still possible for him to still be able to hear Tanith's thoughts.

There was a lot about Tanith he wondered. Like how did she know so much about his past? She would sometimes just make a crack about something that no one else but him would know about an event that happened centuries before she was born.

It nagged him. It mystified him and…_it scared him_.

When the four of them reached the gate, they found Croquet collapsed on the floor and signs of a struggle. Glass cracked from the force of Tanith's power. Seats upturned and the TV shattered.

Yami went to the unconscious man's side and checked for a pulse.

"He's alive." He announced as Bakura cracked his knuckles menacing like.

"Well that's good, I got some questions he's got to answer." Bakura replied.

Ryou wandered over to the window and ran his hand over the glass while Yugi stared at the carnage in shock.

"I can't believe that Tanith could do such a thing." He muttered. "It's been like a month and I still can't used to it."

"Don't worry mate." Ryou replied with a smile. "I haven't got used to it yet either."

Bakura stormed over and nudged Croquet with his foot, "Wake up and tell us where my hitokage is." He nudged him again, this time harder, barely missing Yami. The pharaoh glared up at him just as Croquet groaned.

"Rise and shine!" Bakura said nudging the man more. Finally Ryou and Yami had to pull him back for he began kicking at the poor man. While Ryou and Yami faced the wrath of Bakura, Yugi knelt down and waited for Croquet to wake on his own. He didn't have long to wait.

"Where is Miss Tanith." Croquet exclaimed sitting up suddenly. He looked around and spotted Yami and Bakura in the middle of a glaring match while Ryou sat in between them on the floor with a resigned look upon his face.

"What happened?" he asked Yugi. "Where is Miss Tanith?"

"We don't know." Yugi replied. "We just got here and was hoping you would know." 

Croquet sighed, "Master Pegasus is going to kill me."

"Not before I get a chance!" Bakura cried as he was held back by Yami and Ryou before he could attack Croquet.

The man sighed again.

Writer's block really does suck. Of now be nice and review for me J 


	3. Brainstorm

**Again I forget the disclaimer saying I don't own Yugioh just Tanith.**

Dreams haunted her. Dreams of the little girl who looked just like her. It began where she left off. 

__

A shadow approached her and she began to scream. Her screams were abruptly cut off by a blow to her side sending her to the ground right before a sword would have skewered her where she stood.

The person who knocked her down was not so lucky.

Tanith crawled up to her feet to see her mother's head go tumbling off while her body collapsed in front of one of the pharaoh's soldiers. The little girl watched in shock as the man walked off to gather the head of her mother and place it with her body.

What was the meaning of this, she wondered as the solider stalked up to her eyeing her with his savage bloodthirsty eyes. He raised his sword above her and began to bring it down upon the little girl.

Tanith awoke with a gasp and found her world still whirling. Through the circling of the room, she could tell she wasn't anywhere she knew. The bed she lay on was too soft, smelling of lavender and roses. 

She raised her head up and the room continued to whirl even more. Despite that with gritted teeth she examined the room she was in.

A window lay to her left with wooden like bars across it. Below it was a seat for her to lounge on if she wasn't so dopey. To the right was a wooden dresser full of clothes she would wear. On top of the dresser was a camera winking down at her, zooming in and out without malice.

Tanith lay back down and turned her head to the right and saw next to her a glass of water sitting on the nightstand, waiting for her when she felt better. She sent it wobbling at the camera, knocking it to the floor.

"I am not amused." She groaned. The camera continued winking.

"Who could have kidnapped Tanith?" Tea asked when she came over to Yugi's that night. Yami was over playing Duel Monsters with Joey and Yugi. So far it was mostly a competition between Yugi and Yami.

"Who do we know who would want to?" Joey inquired. "I mean there aren't a lot of people that know what she can do. Tele-ka whatsit wise."

"Telekinesis or psychokinesis, Joey." Yami replied. "I play Kuriboh in attack mode."

"Ah man!" Joey said throwing the cards down that were in his hand. "You wiped my life points out!"

Yugi giggled, "You knew it was going to happen."

"Back to Tanith, _boys_" Tea said with a scowl and her hands on her hips, "Who do you think took her."

"Well it can't be Malik, Tanith told me he was the one who threw her out the window when we were saving Ryou." Yugi replied. 

"True." Yami said as he played the Dark Magician. "There's no love lost between those two."

"Right, and if Malik does have her, they're more likely to kill each other." Joey said innocently. Everyone shot him a dirty look.

"Didn't you mention earlier, Croquet mentioning that Kaiba was threatening to steal Tanith away from Pegasus." Tea asked Yami. "Maybe he finally got sick of Tanith supplying Pegasus with gadgets and stole her like he threatened."

"Number one: Kaiba is a businessman." Yami replied. "He duels like like does his business with ruthless aggression. But… he's somewhat honest in his dealings. If he said he'd steal Tanith he probably meant buy her out."

"He's got the money for it." Yugi replied laying down his own Dark Magician. 

"So who does have Tanith if not either of 'em?"

"I wish I knew Joey." Yami said with a sigh. "Tanith Rivencroft is a deadly person to hold. Her intelligence is akin to Bakura's devious mind. Her power is too. It's not a wonder that Bakura calls her his shadow."

Meanwhile at Ryou's place…

"What do you mean you haven't seen him! Isis this is Malik," Bakura screamed in the phone. "Your brother, the evil mastermind who…"

Across from him on the couch, Ryou smiled as Isis apparently cut his yami off.

"Yes I know I'm an evil mastermind!" Bakura shouted. Ryou chuckled as his yami shot him a nasty look and drug the phone away into the kitchen where nice pointy knives called to him. He knew when to run, Ryou jumped up and went to lock himself in his room.

Tanith was growing hungry and the food lay just a few inches away right in front of the cutaway in the door that was designed for the exact purpose of delivering her meals.

The sweet scent of rolls dipped in honey wafted over to her as she sat on the bed staring at the plate. Tanith could see a glass of cool water, honey roasted ham, and sweet potatoes covered in brown sugar. Just staring at it made her mouth water. But she knew it was drugged.

It took her all of the twelve drug induced hours to figure out that's how her kidnapper planned to keep her. Plant sedatives inside her food and they didn't have to concern themselves with her telekinetic power.

They knew her well…

Her kidnapper knew that ham was her favorite. That she loved her sweet potatoes dunked in sugar, and she preferred to drink water. Even the elegant surroundings were devised with her in mind.

She padded over to the over turned camera and set it back in front of the bed so she could safely sit on the bed and talk to it.

"You sick demented nut case!" Tanith shouted. "You plan on keeping me here forever, _praying_ like a sissy, by the way, I'll like it here."

"Get a clue, Sherlock. I-wanna-go-home!"

The camera continued winking at her. Zooming in, zooming out until the lens peeled back and Tanith was face to face with a dart gun.

"Crap." She got out before she was shot and was quickly off to Lala land once more where she dreamed…

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

__

No reviews, that makes me mad! Argh! Oh well…


	4. A new home

_Immediately the dream began again. The scene was set. The players all together now and so began the show._

He raised his sword above her and began to bring it down upon the little girl and she screamed, holding her hands up to stop him. Miraculously, he did stop and flew head over feet twenty yards away. 

Another solider saw this and stared at the girl in shock then his features turned dark and deadly. He too marched over to Tanith who merely stared at him as he too raised his sword and began to bring it down when a hand grasped his arm from behind.

The soldier turned to bring Tanith's savior down when he saw who stood behind him. Tanith's round blue eyes turned to the robed man who had saved her. His hair was long and white from age or something else entirely. His dark eyes were tired and weary and his voice when he finally spoke was just as spent as his eyes.

"Leave her." He turned and began walking away.

Tanith was full of questions and began following her savior to see if he might hold the answers. She followed him through the carnage surrounding her, seeking him out like a moth would as to a flame. When he finally stopped amidst the ruins of some dark building she raced up and tugged on his sleeve.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

The man looked down at her and sighed as he knelt down before her. He studied her dirt and soot covered face, as if seeking the answers within her features. He seemed to come to a conclusion and lifted her into his arms.

Tanith was fearful but kept a brave front as the strange man walked up to a horse, sat her upon it then climbed on behind her. 

A solider came up to them where they surveyed the violence and said something to the man, something that the little girl didn't understand. What did a girl of five know of souls and magic? 

Together they rode through the city surveying the carnage. Fires lit up the blood-covered sand in flickering relief. Screams echoed in the night and Tanith watched as the slaughter continued safely in the man's arms.

"Do you have a name child?" He asked her all of a sudden, his soft voice seeming to drown out all the cries of people Tanith knew.

"Tanith." She replied. "What's your name?"

He reined the horse to a stop and slid down off of it, "You may call me Master." With that said the man walked off leaving the girl alone to deal with the deaths of her people.

He came back eventually all shadows and darkness. Tanith sensed a sadness and horror about him, secrets about the events that only he knew haunted him like dreams of tonight would haunt her. Then they rode off into the night followed by the soldiers leaving devastation in their wake.

The palace was everything and nothing like Tanith knew before. Shops and tall adobe houses full of sleeping people lined the streets leading up to it. The floors were smooth white marble and the walls full of colorful tapestries leading up to the throne room where the pharaoh awaited Master.

Tanith hung back in the shadows behind the man, making sure that the great king who sat before her did not see her. But it was not meant to be. Master turned and handed her a velvet lines tray full of golden objects she had not seen him carrying before and motioned for her to present it to the king.

She took the tray and padded silently up to the man and knelt down in front of him offering up the tray full of seven golden objects.

He chose the large pyramid puzzle and then winked at Tanith. She smiled and walked graciously back to her Master. She stood beside him as five robed individuals similarly dressed as her master approached her and each took one golden item. The last, an eye, belonged to Master.

Tanith turned and presented the eye to him and he too winked at her then told her to wait for him outside the throne room. The little girl happily ran out of the silent room to await her master.

When he did come out, the eye replaced one of his lavender orbs and Tanith vaguely wondered if the golden eye allowed him to blink. He took her tiny hand and escorted her to some chambers.

"Stay here, little Tanith." Master told her. "Right now I have business to attend to and when I come back you and I will have a little discussion about that little trick you did with the guard."

She nodded, "The one who flew?"

"Exactly." He patted her on the head and left the room, locking the door behind him.

For a time the little girl explored her surroundings. She stopped and looked at the couch that sat before a balcony over looking the city below. She examined the tapestries that hung on the painted walls and made bottles of perfume and dye dance on the table they sat on.

Soon she grew bored and laid down on the soft silks of the couch. Not long after that, Tanith fell asleep.

The sound of birds chirping and the door snapping unlock awoke the little girl the next morning. She scurried to her feet and met Master at the door. Behind him was a slave carrying in his arms were a simple white shift, a pair of sandals the girl's size and a brush.

"You see what must be done, do it." Master ordered the slave then he addressed Tanith, "I must go do the business I spoke of now. Do not be afraid if you hear screaming, it's only bad people."

Tanith giggled, "Bad people, okay."

Then he left the room, locking the door behind him and the slave gently laid the clothing down on the couch then led the girl into an adjoining room where a large pool sat bubbling with water.

"You're very lucky to be taken in by Master Akunadin." the woman said as she roughly stripped Tanith of her dirty dress. "He doesn't surround himself with many slaves."

Before Tanith could blink the slave shoved her into the pool. Water flooded the little girl's mouth and slipped over her head. Panic flooded her and gave her strength but before she could react with that strength, the woman jerked her up by her arm to a sitting position where the water merely lapped at her chin.

"You would be a good sandal washer." The woman said as she began roughly scrubbing the dirt from Tanith's body. "Get all the sand ground into the leather off. And you could also be a meal taster. See if there's any poison in the _great Priest's _food." 

She placed a hand on top of the girl's head and shoved her underneath the water. Again panic filled Tanith. She couldn't breath. She couldn't see. Strength filled her and finally it got its release. The water began to boil and part. The slave gasped at the sight and slowly backed away from Tanith. The little girl stood and began to hover then move out of the pool. Finally Tanith carefully lowered herself to her own two feet and relaxed.

The slave screamed as she left the room and began pounding on the door outside to be free. Free from the puzzled little girl who merely shrugged and walked out of the bathing room to get dressed.

The fine linen felt nice on her cleansed skin. She found a brush and began brushing the tangles out of her hair while the slave kept screaming.

As a little bit of fun after she finished brushing her hair, Tanith began rattling the bottles again. She moved the couch toward the slave like a shark on the prowl.

The scene that greeted Akunadin when he walked into the room some hours later was one of his slaves passed out in front of the door and Tanith sitting on the floor surrounded by floating pieces of the room. A bottle of perfume there, a heavy sculpture of the goddess Bast here.

"Hello Master! I was having a bit of fun." Tanith greeted as she dropped everything she was moving. The sound of the statue smashing awoke the slave and she quickly dashed out of the room once she saw the door was open. She didn't give her master a bit of attention except to shove him out of the way.

"That lady says I'd be a good sandal washer. Do you think I'd be a good sandal washer?" Tanith asked.

"No, I don't." Akunadin replied firmly. He walked into the room and sat down on the couch which he noticed had been moved closer to the door. "Remember I said I was going to talk to you about how you make things fly."

Tanith took a seat on the floor in front of him and nodded.

"How do you do it? Do you know?"

She smiled, "I tell them to move." The little girl pointed at a bottle that had not shattered and cried, "Move!"

The bottle shot across the floor and out the door.

"See?" Tanith said.

Akunadin sighed and tried again. "Do you know why they move when you want them to?"

Tanith nodded, "Because I want them to."

He shook his head and muttered, "You don't know. I don't know why I thought you did."

"Am I a prisoner? Can I go home?" she asked quietly. "Can I master?"

He avoided her bright gaze, "This is your new home. You are going to be my apprentice, know everything there is to know about the Shadow Games. About the magics only I can teach you. To use your own talents along with what I can teach you."

"But I want to go to my old home." Tanith argued, "I know the games I wanna play. Games my mommy taught me. I wanna go home, to mommy."

Akunadin rose to his feet and began to walk out the door. "I'm sorry little Tanith. You can never go home."

The sound of the lock this time was the sound of Tanith's heart breaking.


	5. Thief meets thief

"Get back here you little imp!"

Tanith laughed as she dashed ahead of the brown hair, blue eye priest that chased her. She dashed past the throne room where the Pharaoh spied the thirteen-year-old and then the young priest behind her. He chuckled and resumed his business with his advisor, Simon.

"You're not going to get away with dropping that water bag on me!"

Tanith laughed at her friend, Seto, who was dripping water on the valuable rugs with every step he took while she still eluded his capture. She knew if her master caught her and the other teenager playing like this it would be her that'd be in trouble. 

_"Do not befriend Seto."_ He told her time and time again in the eight years she had been with him. _"He has a greater destiny than you."_

Looking back at the saturated boy behind her, Tanith couldn't tell any difference between her and him. _But she knew…_

"Catch me first, preach later!" she shouted back to him cutting past another priest and his solemn pupil. With a devious gleam to her blue eyes, Tanith used her telekinetic abilities and shoved the two into Seto's path. All three landed in a bundle of limbs and cries, just what she wanted. She stopped to gloat.

"Oh no, Master's favorite fall down and go boom."

Seto glared at her as he rose to his feet, "When I learn how you do that…"

Tanith laughed, "If the High Priest of the Pharaoh can't figure it out, I doubt you could either."

He roared and tackled her to the ground…or tried to. When Seto did attempt to tackle the smug and smaller girl all that happened was him left dangling up in the air mere inches from his target.

"Got to think faster, Priest Seto." Tanith said with a giggle. In front of her, Seto's eyes got round and then someone roared behind Tanith.

"What are you doing!"

The girl spun around, dropping her friend on his face to become face to face with her Master, High Priest Akunadin.

"We were—er I mean…" she sputtered under the elder man's angry glare. He roughly took her arm and dragged her down the hall, found a deserted room and flung her into a corner.

"What have I told you." Akunadin demanded.

Tanith lowered her gaze and replied, "Never play with Seto. He has a higher destiny than I. He must prepare for that destiny and that destiny has no room for childish games."

"And why were you disrupting things?" he asked, "Don't you _want_ Seto to succeed in life? Don't you _want_ him to take my place?"

"I do!" Tanith cried jerking her gaze up to her master's face. "I want him to succeed in your plans for him but I don't understand why it has to be the way you say! Why can't you tell him who you really are? Why can't I be friends with your son? Why can't—"

Akunadin held up a hand and was silent, "No more whys, little Tanith. I've told you why. It is the way the gods will it."

"You just don't want him to discover that his father, _you_, murdered my entire village just for the sake of the kingdom. By the way Akunadin, when ya gonna tell the pharaoh what you did."

Akunadin's face fell and Tanith continued brutally, "Oh great pharaoh, _brother_, forgive me but for you and the kingdom I killed an entire village to make the tools we use to battle our evil enemies. Did you think I didn't know what you did with my home?! My family!"

Tears began to run down Tanith's face, "Why did you spare me and no one else? Why did you raise me as you should have raised Seto? He deserves you more than a thief's daughter."

Akunadin sighed, walked over and placed an arm around her, "A thief's daughter or not, Tanith, you and I were meant to cross paths. You are the light to the shadows of my deeds. You give this old man a reason to bear the weight of his sorrows."

She smiled a little, she knew this speech well. "Because we are together, we are never alone in this world. Yes master."

He chuckled and tweaked her nose, "Now be a good girl, apologize to Seto for your little prank and go play."

Tanith busted up laughing, "I'll apologize but I won't regret it."

*****************************************

The city surrounding the grand palace was full of wonders just as amazing as the sights inside the grand palace. Tanith found the simple things like a snake charmer, a man selling his wears, and children playing in the streets far greater than what she saw at home. With her red hair covered by a simple white shawl that matched her linen shift, she could view everything as just another face in the crowd

Suddenly the cry of thief shattered the peace of the day. Tanith turned to see a white hair boy no older than her being chased by a one of the venders. In his hands, she noted, was a single loaf of bread.

Now normally, Tanith would have left things as they were but there was something…_ familiar_ about the thief. Something that made her do what she did next.

As the vender chased after the teenage thief, he suddenly was lifted in the air by an invisible force and thrown gently back into his booth, allowing the boy to get away clean. Once that was done, Tanith lifted up the boy and pulled him where she hid in the crowd.

"Let me go!" the boy shouted. In response, Tanith dumped him on his backside in front of her.

"Hello, you look familiar." She told him.

The boy rose to his feet and snorted as he dusted himself off, "I am Bakura Prince of Thieves. Most feared of Bandits."

"Listen, flaunt all you want but remember that force that dumped you here? I control that, so tell me where I have seen you before or I'll drag you back to that nice man you stole from." Tanith replied.

"Ha! Such a little girl can't control such powerful forces."

"I maybe short but I can still drop you where you stand."

Bakura laughed and summoned his Kaa monster, a demonic looking pharaoh. Tanith looked up at the monster and sighed.

"Defeat this." He told her.

"With pleasure." She replied glancing at everything around her. A barrel. People. A snake charmer. **A snake charmer…** Tanith smiled deviously and lifted the basket full of vipers over the boy's head.

"Tell me, do you like snakes?" she inquired before dumping the basket's contents over Bakura's head.

Bakura screamed and began throwing snakes off of himself. Tanith watched and laughed at him deflecting vipers away from her and other people in the meanwhile.

"You'll pay for that." He hissed as Tanith picked up the barrel and held it over Bakura's head with her power. People began to gawk at the scene between the two teens.

"You sic the monster on me, I drop this heavy barrel on you. Either way, you go down." Tanith replied. She cut her eyes to the crowd beginning to surround them. "We're gathering a large audience, care to take this elsewhere?"

"Where to?" Bakura asked poised and ready for anything.

Tanith smiled, "To the palace of course."

Suddenly the barrel was flung aside and Bakura slowly rose into the air. Tanith flung herself into his arms and off they flew into the sky toward the palace.

The distance was covered in half the time it took Tanith to cover by foot. She yipped and flung her arms out with a laugh. The shawl covering her hair floated away down to the ground revealing her crimson locks.

When they reached Tanith's balcony outside her room, Bakura hung onto her a little longer than was necessary and she smiled up at him.

"Who are you?" he demanded as she gently set him on his feet.

"My name is Tanith."

He roughly released her and she fell onto her backside as he began to look around her lavish room. A few things he thought would give him a good price he slipped into his pocket and went for more. All this Tanith watched with amusement.

"You know, I stole those things first." She told him.

He turned and replied, "There is no honor amongst thieves."

Tanith shrugged and used her power to pull her prizes out of his pockets and back to where they were found.

"I know where I've seen you before, _Prince_ Bakura."

"And where is that, _Princess_ Tanith."

"Kuruelna"

Bakura froze.

"I knew it!" She exclaimed climbing to her feet and hugging him. "We're the same! Survivors!"

"You? A survivor?" Bakura snorted. "You live in the palace, have everything you could ever desire…while I have to steal just to eat."

Tanith turned him to face her, "I am a shadow, a servant to the man who destroyed our home. I am forced to keep his secrets, forced to learn from him. I am surrounded by wealth, protected by soldiers but a prisoner still. You at least have the freedom to come and go. I have to have permission."

"So why don't you leave one day and never return."

Tanith sighed and laid her head on his shoulder, "Because my master is also my friend."

"Keep your enemies closer."

"In a way."

They were silent for a time. Then Tanith backed away and walked out onto the balcony. She gazed out upon the city below.

"I wish things were as they were at home. Mother would be baking, father would be working while brother and I would play the three cups and a marble game. I was very good for my age." She said.

"So was I."

Tanith giggled, "To survive as long as you have you'd have to be good." She sighed and turned her gaze back to the outside world.

"Thank you." He then moved behind her and whispered, "Wanna have some fun?"

She smiled, "What kind?"

"The kind that gets you into trouble."

"Does it involve stealing..?"

"Mmm, maybe."

Tanith laughed, "Master did say I could play. Let's do it!"


	6. Meanwhile

__

The present…..

Tanith's eyes fluttered open and found herself quite comfortable. Warmth enclosed her in the form of two strong arms wrapped around her shoulders. Beneath her head and behind her was a firm body of a man who worked out. It would have been quite nice except Tanith suspected this was the person who drugged and kidnapped her. 

"Good morning." He greeted.

"I should have known." She muttered.

He nuzzled the top of her head, "Known what?"

"That you'd be that stupid as to drug and kidnap me."

"That's not nice of you."

"Screw being nice." Tanith tried sitting up and found the warm arms tighten into steal bands of flesh. "Let me up…_now_."

"Would you hate me if I said no?"

"I already hate you!"

He sighed, "That was uncalled for."

"UNCALLED FOR?! YOU KIDNAPPED ME, DOPED ME UP ON RA ONLY KNOWS WHAT AND YOU GOT THE BALLS TO.."

Unseen by Tanith, her captor stabbed the contents of a syringe into her neck silencing her effectively.

"Now if only she'd stay as angelic while she's awake…"

*******************************************************

Meanwhile Bakura was standing alongside Croquet, Yugi, Yami, Ryou, Tristan, Joey and Tea at the Domino City Police Department filling out a missing person's report on Tanith.

Already they had been filling out paperwork for an hour and listened to the same questions since they arrived. How old is Miss Rivencroft? _Sixteen._ Are you sure she didn't run away? _Yes, she was kidnapped yesterday at the airport. And Croquet has the knot on his head where someone hit him to get to Tanith._ Are you family to Miss Rivencroft?_ No but she is as good as._ Where is Miss Rivencroft's family. _Dead._

About the third time around even Ryou was begging Yami and Bakura to send the police to the Shadow Realm. The fourth time Tristan and Tea were ready for some Shadow magic.

"Hey Croquet, we're going to leave now." Yugi said as his friends and Bakura got up to leave. "We're not helping here."

"Perhaps you may be able to find her better than the police." Croquet replied. "And ensure that Bakura doesn't kill someone while you're at it."

Behind Yugi, Yami smirked.

"He's just concerned as the rest of us." Tea argued as they left.

Croquet let out a sigh of relief once Bakura's scowling face was out of the building and prayed the teens would find Tanith before his Master discovered she was missing. He turned back to the policeman in front of him.

"You sure that white hair one didn't kill her?" the cop asked again in a whisper.

Croquet sighed again.


	7. A robbing we will go

It began with music. The elemental curiosity for the beautiful sound brought the people to her. Then it was her dance, smooth and slow. The sunlight made her royal purple shift with light blue edges made all her movements magical and ethereal. 

Tanith danced with her heart and soul out where everyone could see. The music that mysteriously played too came from the inner depths of Tanith. The sweet sound of the lyre, pipe and drum hovered above the crowd. Not one person looked up and spied the floating instruments or noticed when Bakura emptied them of their pouches of gold.

When she finally ended her song and dance, the crowd slowly disappeared, never the wiser of the two grinning thieves they left behind.

"Not bad for a first time." Bakura told his partner as he tossed up the pouches of gold up in the air then caught them smoothly. "Next time we try my plan and simply cut a few throats."

Tanith scrunched up her nose, "Bringing death was never my thing."

"Besides," she added with a smile. "Didn't my way do just as well as yours might have?"

He snorted, "My way at least there was no danger of being caught. Dead men can't kill you."

"You're too bloody of a person, Bakura." Tanith said dropping the instruments that still floated in the air. "One day that blood thirstiness is going to get you killed."

Again he snorted, "Not hardly."

"So now what do we do, my friend?" Tanith asked a moment later as they walked the streets. "We've pilfered enough gold to keep both of us fed well."

"Ha! You're not getting one coin from me, Tanith." Bakura replied. "This gold is all mine."

"Of course. I don't have any need for it."

Again Bakura snorted and a moment of silence passed between them as they strolled the streets.

"Why don't we store our gold and then do things the _old_ way." Tanith said suddenly.

He grinned, "Find a nice tomb…"

"Rob it blind." Tanith giggled, "I remember the old ways."

"Let's see how good the _princess_ is at the old ways…no magic."

Tanith smirked, "Sure no magic, just talent."

High Regent Simbel lived to be forty years of age before falling victim to excesses. He was found in the bed of another man's wife with a dagger in his heart and showed signs of drinking poisoned wine the woman served before finding that method too slow for such a _great_ man.

His tomb was a quiet testing ground for the newly discovered partner in crime and stood unguarded despite being a new tomb.

"Where are the guards?" Tanith asked as they silently crept toward the entranceway. They stuck to the shadows and stopped at the mouth of the tomb.

"Sleeping." Bakura replied. "I took the liberty of gifting such naïve guards with a skin of drugged wine earlier this morning. Wasn't that nice of me."

"Exceptionally!" Tanith exclaimed with a quiet giggle. "So what should I expect when I go in?"

"Everything." He replied. "You go in first and I'll follow a little behind so you can disable the traps first."

"Gee, how nice of you."

He shoved her inside and waited to follow.

Torches illuminated the dank sandy hallways as Tanith slowly walked. Writing on the walls depicted a fat man in various states of his life. As a child he played. As a man he gathered a harem of wives. Then as in death he did in life.

Tanith passed a chamber filled with the bodies of Simbel's wives. The stench from the room was akin to something dying a dried death as the sickly sweet smell of stick incense. She gagged as she passed allowing her to trip a thinly strung wire.

Suddenly the floor dropped out from under Tanith and she fell down toward a pit full of vipers. She would have screamed if not a firm hand grasped her wrist. In seconds, she found looking down into what might be her death.

"Hmm, now this is interesting." He purred. "I have you at my mercy. If I let go, you die and I can navigate on my own. Or I can pull you up and have to worry about you springing traps every second. What a dilemma."

"Betrayer!"

"Remember Tanith, there is no honor among thieves."

"You drop me and you'll find yourself down there as well." She swore. Bakura sighed and jerked her safely into his arms.

"Think quick and move quicker." He told her. "I'd have noticed that trip wire even before I passed the door. You must do the same, dummy."

Tanith scowled and sent him sailing over the pit in a heap then floated gracefully over it herself a moment later.

"Come, there is robbing we must do." She told him pulling him up to his feet. He scowled.

Together they bypassed the many traps set aside for just such two individuals as Tanith and Bakura. When they finally reached the treasure room they whooped for joy but carefully examined it for traps.

"See that trip wire?" he asked her as they both knelt on the ground in front of the chamber. "It leads up to a sand trap, a normal type of trap the builders set up. It shuts the room then fills it with sand."

"What happens if we cut it?"

"Same thing that would occur if you tripped it."

Tanith winced, "Not a honorable death for the two best tomb robbers in the world."

Bakura smirked, "For the prince of bandits you mean."

"What don't you call yourself the King of Bandits or the bandit King and just get it over with." Tanith asked as they rose to their feet. "If you're going to be full of yourself it's best to go all the way."

Bakura snorted and stepped into the treasure room, carefully avoiding the wire. Tanith followed a short time later.

Inside, torches illuminated the gold statuettes of favored gods, gleaming jewels and the beautiful painted walls. It was a hoard that would feed both of the two robbers for months and still afford them to squander on lavish surroundings.

"Check out this two headed lion sculpture. It has rubies for eyes." Bakura exclaimed. Tanith walked over and looked at his prize.

"Aker, protector of Ra in His overnight travels." She murmured she looked up at him and grinned, "I'd give it, two bolts of silk?"

Her partner grinned and picked up another sculpture this one with topazes for eyes. It had a crocodile's snout and head, feline claws and front, and a hippopotamus body 

"Who's this?"

"Am-mit, the death swollower. It is said that if your heart is heavier than that of Ma'at's feather, Am-mit will gobble it up and thus ending everything that you were."

Bakura threw the statue to the ground, shattering it and pocketed the topazes. He found another much prettier figure, one with a male's body and a jackal's head then showed it to Tanith.

"He is Yinepu, guardian of the tomb and caretaker of the dead. His duties are to lead the dead to the Hall of Double Truth to get his heart weighed."

"Not much of a tomb guardian if we can rob it."

"Maybe." She replied with a smirk. "Maybe Yinepu didn't particularly care for the one buried here and that is why we are allowed here."

"I doubt the gods' power." Bakura told her. "If they can allow the pharaoh to destroy our village then they are not so high and mighty as they appear."

Tanith didn't try to correct him and stayed silent.

Bakura didn't want to show Tanith where he kept his stolen goods and they parted ways. She walked only a short way before she spotted an apparently deserted horse and happily rode it past the owner who was bathing in a nearby lake.

The wind raced through her long free hair. The sun beat upon her flesh, soon a cooling sweat beaded down her face. Sand and ground sped behind her, strong horseflesh was beneath her. For once, Tanith was simply free. No thoughts of master, his secrets, her past, her strange red hair. Just her and speed.

She sped through the village and breezed or snuck past everyone in her path toward her room. Inside her master waited tapping his foot impatiently. Tanith lowered her gaze and shut the door behind her.

"I hear strange things, Tanith." He told her calmly pacing in front of her. "That a thief was blessed with the power of flight and that things--- like a _barrel_---began floating as if by magic. Does this sound familiar apprentice?"

She winced and thought, _I should not have shown off so much!_

"I see by your face this sounds very familiar. Do you know why there are no red haired children in our great empire of Egypt?"

"No master. Why?"

"Because red haired children are given to the altars of the gods as _burnt offerings._ Do you understand?" he replied firmly.

Tanith paled and bowed, "Yes master."

"The gods allowed you to be spared from the fire and destruction of Kuruelna, I doubt they will save you again." Her master told her stopping before her then reached out and tilted her chin up. His harsh expression softened as he gazed at the beautiful blue eyes lowered before him.

"You are a beautiful child. So very beautiful."

Tanith looked up at him, noticing for the first time just how close her master was getting. How he appeared to be bending down to _kiss_ her.

"A asp is beautiful too. But it will still bite." She replied her eyes spitting blue fire. 

He scowled and stood to his full height, "But not before you can chop it's pretty head off."

"Who do you think is faster, Master? You or the asp?" Tanith replied quietly.

Her master spun around and left, slamming the door behind him. She breathed a sigh of relief.

_Just what I need to end a lovely day. First getting caught dropping that wine skin on Seto now his dad thinks I'm cute. Perfect. _She fumed as various objects around her began to rattle in place.

Out from under her bed a runt gray calico kitten climbed out and peered up at her mistress with wide gray eyes. Tanith sat beside the feline and sighed.

"What am I going to do Conniption? Master is starting to _like_ me as in take me as his freaking concubine like. I love Master but not _that_ way!"

The kitten purred and rubbed her small face against her friend. Tanith absently petted the cat.

"Do you think your goddess Bast could help me out a bit? Change me into one of her beloved cats and let me hide until Master gets over me."  
The cat looked at her funny.

She sighed, "I didn't think Bast would either. So what can I do?" 

The cat ran over to the balcony and looked out as if the answer were apparent.

"I can't leave Master, Conniption. He gives us so much. He gave us life, it is at his mercy that we exist."

The feline eyes turn into slits and gazed at Tanith with annoyance.

"You don't mean…Bakura? Do you think he'll help us?"

"_Mew"_

Tanith smiled as she rose to her feet and padded over to the small kitten. She gazed out upon the busy town and laid her head down on the sandstone rail. She breathed in the fresh air blowing into her room, sending the thin silk curtains behind her. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind. Behind her, objects settled and quieted. Peace settled into her.

********************************************

I couldn't help it, I had to add my cat Nippy!! I had to she was just perfect for the role.


	8. Revelation

__

The present…..

Tanith opened her eyes and rubbed them then took in her surroundings. The room was empty once more. Her neck hurt and was stiff. Her head was mostly clear, just enough to rattle the camera/gun pointed at her once again.

She sat up and was glad her captor wasn't around, let alone _holding her_. She looked around the room. Gray sofa sitting near the door in front of a television. A table full of books she thought of buying to read at one time.

Tanith climbed unsteadily to her feet and walked into the sitting room collapsing into the couch when her legs gave out.

"What in Ra's name are you pumping into me guy?" she muttered snatching up the remote and clicking on the TV. She began cycling through talk shows, golden age sitcoms, and lousy soap operas before turning the TV off and tossing the remote aside.

She looked up and spied a security camera sitting in the corner across from her. She glared up at it and gave it the finger.

"You know staring at me is going to get old pal. I'm not doing anything of interest…_yet._"

Inside his room, sitting in the darkened room not far away the figure of Tanith's abductor smiled. He watched her kick the back of the TV off and fall of her butt with a laugh. Then saw her reach in and take out pieces to tinker with.

On another screen, the feed into her room he saw her cautiously creep up to the camera and smash it on the dresser. He pouted and watched her drag the pieces back into the living room where she began tinkering.

"What are you up to my dear?"

After a moment he spied something that perked his interest: a picture of him looking at her. He smiled and silently applauded her.

"Very smart, very smart."

She looked up at the remaining camera and wave then pointed at the TV with a vicious grin. Then she flipped him off again and staggered back toward the bed. Things began to shake and clatter. Through the camera he saw cracks begin to form in the walls and he began to feel a sliver of true fear.

"Stay calm." She whispered to herself. "Picture the setting sun on the village below the palace. The sweet smell of incense in the temple of Ra."

Tanith suddenly collapsed on the floor amidst the shaking books, the rattling dresser. She shut her eyes and tried to picture again the peaceful settings she dreamt about. The sweet smell of lavender and musk. The cool breezes off the Nile. 

But pain also began creeping up on her among the memories. First it was throbbing then a stabbing pain. She whimpered and curled up in a ball. Then quietly began crying. 

_It's too much! It hurts! Ra stop the pain, I beg of you! _

Distantly she heard the door slam open, adding to her pain and suddenly found herself in warm firm arms. Then they were walking and then felt the cool covers of the bed beneath her as the person gently laid her down.

"Hold on." He whispered and rushed away leaving the door open in his rush.

Tanith opened her eyes a crack and noticed this, then all pain filled thoughts were on escape. She rolled off the bed onto her knees, sending a fresh wave of pain through her and began crawling toward the door.

Around her things again began to rattle as she inched toward the door. Inches. One inch followed by another painful inch. She gasped as she dug her nails into the carpet to afford her more precious inches and finally made her way to the door.

Her vision began to turn red and blood began to seep from her nose, dripping on the cream carpet. She did not spare the red droplets a glance and slid her body outside the door.

She laughed and crawled faster, dripping blood on the carpet outside. Thoughts of freedom began to make their way through the pain. The sight of her friends. The pain. Bakura. The pain. How much she was going to make her kidnapper pay. The pain…

Suddenly she found herself whipped up into the air in someone's arms. She let out a cry as they carried her back into her prison.

"_NO!!!_" she screamed and began to cry in his arms. He cradled her body close and joined in shaken by sobs. 

"Please stay." He kept whispering over and over. "Please don't die."

***************************************************************

They were all in the middle of a duel at Yugi's to kill time and get ideas when Bakura cried out in pain. First he was making some sarcastic remark to Yami then he was on his knees in pain.

"She's…hurting. Oh Ra she's hurting!" Bakura gasped as everyone went to his side, cards lying forgotten.

"What's wrong? Bakura!" Ryou cried shoving everyone aside to get to his yami. Yugi's shoved him back and helped Bakura to the couch.

"Can you see where's she's at?" Yami demanded as Joey ran for a cold washcloth.

"If I _could_ I would _be_ there." Bakura snapped and squeezed his eyes shut. Joey came back and laid the cloth over Bakura's eyes. He breathed a sigh of medium relief.

"What do you know." Yami asked.

"She's upset..and hurting a lot. She used her power too much and..she feels strange. Like she's drugged."

"Kaiba can dope people up if he wants." Joey said to his friends.

"Kaiba wouldn't do that just to get Tanith." Tristan retorted.

"Well who else could do that to the poor girl?" Tea replied.

"Shhh, listen." Yugi told his friends.

"I'm going to try something." Bakura said all of a sudden. He focused on the faint pathway that he once explore before and found himself again in the room draped in burgundy silk and shadows. Inside the room a table was set for two lit only by two candles 

"Tanith?" Bakura whispered. 

"It's the King of Bandits." Someone familiar whispered. "King Bakura of Kuruelna. Has Am-mit

found you yet tomb robber."

Bakura spun and searched for the voice in the shadows. "Who are you!"

"You called me Princess and I called you King. Who do you think I am."

"An intruder inside Tanith's mind."

The voice chuckled, "An intruder, he says. No Bakura of Kuruelna, I've always been here. Dreaming, _remembering_."

"Where's Tanith?" he demanded.

"Shhhh, not so loud. We are in pain, you feel it as well through our bond. Our bond we forged over a millennia ago. So long ago."

Bakura frowned and asked quieter, "Who are you?"

"A little girl who survived a slaughter. One who was a secret keeper and loved by Master. Do you not remember Bakura? The day we stole from the people and then from the dead."

"No."

"I am Tanith of Kuruelna." The voice whispered. "It was not coincident that Tanith Rivencroft shared a similar past as you. It was not coincident that she and you met. It was destiny."

A girl appeared dressed in a dark blue shift of silk edged with pale lavender. She had Tanith's blood red hair flowing freely down her back. Her eyes were the same lapis blue as Tanith's. In every way she looked like Tanith, with the exception of the clothes.

"You!" Bakura whispered.

She smiled, "Me."

"I remember now."

"And soon my reincarnation will too. Then we will be…one I guess. Tanith Rivencroft will remember all the life she led as Tanith of Kuruelna."

"Even…?"

"Even how we died." She paused. "It's almost time Bakura but before I join Tanith finally, I want to tell you something. Something important."

"What is it?"

"The one who holds us. You know him, you battled him. It's…" her form began to waver and she sobbed. "Beware of the two faced boy!"

And then she vanished and Bakura's eyes snapped open with a gasp.

"What happened?" everyone demanded at once.

"I saw her, I know why!" he gasped sitting up and ripping the wash cloth from his face. "She's from ancient Egypt, from my home no less."

"Know what?" Yugi asked.

"Who's from ancient Egypt?" Ryou demanded.

"You had a home?" Joey inquired. Bakura shot him a dirty look and looked ready to send him to the Shadow Realm but Yami intervened. 

"What did you do?"

"I went into Tanith's soul room." Bakura replied.

"I thought you could only do that if they were wearing the Millennium Ring." Yugi argued. Bakura shook his head.

"Because of our connection, me and Tanith's, I can go anytime. Feel what she feels." He revealed. "Like her pain now."

"What connection and what does ancient Egypt have to do with anything?" Tristan demanded.

"When I was a teenager, I met a girl who could move things just like Tanith. In fact it was Tanith. She and I were the only survivors of our village, the one yami's father destroyed."

"How many times do I have to tell you, he didn't do it!" Yami snapped.

"He did too and when we get Tanith back I can prove it!"

"Guys! Back to Tanith…?" Tea said before another word could be said.

"The reason why I have a body is the connection we have and the magic of the shadow realm." Bakura turned to Yami. "Yours must have come from the power feed back."

"She did say sorry about that, like she did something." Yugi said faintly.

"She, the old Tanith, said something that puzzles me." Bakura said with a frown. "Beware of the two faced boy…"

"If I didn't know any better I'd swear she was talking about me or Yugi. But we're not two faced anymore, Yami and you have your own bodies." Ryou said.

Suddenly it hit Bakura and everything came into place. Bakura has met him and he was two faced. 

_"And you said he liked me, Bakura."_

"Well who else could do that to the poor girl?"

"You know, under all that dirt and grime, you're actually rather attractive."

"Ryou's been drugged."

"I think it'd be safe to assume he's got a dinner party for two set up in Ryou's room"

"He's trying to pick you up!"

"We had so much fun he didn't want me to leave."

"I'm going to _kill_ him!"


	9. Escape

****

Author's note: _LOL looks like the secret is out and said person is going to get their butt kicked. Thanks to Seto's angel and Liviania for reviewing. They're the only reviews I've gotten thus far and I live for reviews. So big huge thank-yas to you both. Now on with the story._

****************************************************

:The past:

She stood there gazing out at the town until the sun went down. Master had not returned and she knew he would soon.

_I must get away_, Tanith thought with a determined nod. She looked down at the kitten at her feet who gazed up at her with sorrowful gray eyes the same color as her fur.

"Time to slip away into the shadows, Nippy." 

Tanith walked over and dug through her clothes chest for suitable clothing for a dangerous stroll in town at night. She found a moth eaten cloak made of yak skin, which she threw onto her bed. Then she tossed a ratty black wig she stole on the bed to the ensemble and a fake beard of horsehair. To complete the disguise she donned a tattered black tunic.

"So how do I look?" Tanith asked wheezing like an old man after she put everything on. The cat took one look at her and hissed before diving under the bed.

"Good enough." She replied and slipped out of the room. She quickly walked the empty halls of the palace making her way toward the door when she encountered her first problem.

_Priest Seto._

"Who are you?" the young priest demanded. "What are you doing here?"

Tanith ducked her head and hid her gaze in the tangled wig before replying.

"I'm lost, my lord. Where can I find the lavatory?" she wheezed. Seto kicked her down onto her hands and knees, almost knocking the wig off her head.

"Get out of my way you dog." He sneered. "I have no time to waste with filthy peasants such as yourself." And with that he marched away.

"Ra, remind me to teach _Priest_ Seto a lesson about how to treat people." Tanith muttered rising to her feet. After a moment she chuckled and added, "Oh well, he'll figure out that filthy peasants aren't supposed to be in the palace, let alone treated so badly."

Her next problem came when the _Pharaoh_---of all people-- bumped into her.

"Oh excuse me." He said to her. Tanith let out a tiny squeak as the king's surprise changed into disapproval. For this occasion the girl drew upon her secret weapon: mad groveling.

"Oh great one!" she exclaimed with deep a groan as she prostrated herself before the suddenly startled king, "Finally I see you, my king! My god! My greatest fantasy!"

She began giving the king's feet big wet sloppy kissing until the man was forced to back away from the disguised teen in horror. It was then some guards appeared and began dragging her away.

"I may die in peace now and face the judgement of Ma'at now that I have glimpsed your god like face, my king!" she cried as she was dragged away out of the palace. At the door, she was thrown to the steps below and the door was slammed behind her. She rose to her feet with a giggle and righted her askew wig and rumpled clothing.

"Jerks, can't a girl get out of the palace without being thrown around like soiled laundry?"

Bakura was enjoying his fifth cup of ale at the Pickled Egg, a bar known to be full of assassins, thieves and prostitutes, when a strange sight approached his table and sat down. It was a man, he thought, dressed in a stinky yak cloak, some ragbag tunic, a wig that looked like rat made a nest in it and forgot to inform the owner and had a beard that made the wig look nice.

"What do you want old man." He growled. A pair of familiar blue eyes looked up at him and a smile lit the owner's face.

"That's the best compliment I've gotten all night."

"_Tanith_?!"

"So you do remember my name." She replied scratching at the wig that covered her hair. "Here I thought you'd call me Princess for the rest of my life."

"What in Ra's name are you doing in a dive like this, dressed like that?" Bakura demanded in a hiss, glancing around the room to see if anyone noticed them.

"It was either this or the harem girl outfit I had stashed."

Bakura paled, "Thank the gods you stuck with that get up." He muttered. "What are you doing here?"

"Seeking out my pal the King of Bandits." Tanith was about to pull off her beard when Bakura stayed her hand.

"Keep the beard." He told her holding her hand a bit longer than was necessary. 

Someone in the crowd who knew Bakura noticed this and asked, "Going the other way are we, 'Kura?"

Bakura spun around and replied, "Both ways is the only way to swing, now shut up." He turned back to Tanith and muttered, "Now I'm going to be known as a fairy."

"I see no problems." Tanith replied taking Bakura's hands again, "It'll keep all the girls from flocking to your door and giving away your hiding place."

He chuckled, "Good point, so what help do you need?"

"I've come to the conclusion that I need to find another place to live." She replied. "Things have…_developed_ that I'm not comfortable with and I was thinking as a fellow thief…"

"There's no honor among thieves."

Tanith reached out and caressed his cheek, "But maybe among something else…"

"You're desperate." He said flatly.

"You betcha." She replied with a smirk.

Bakura shook his head then bumped it a few times on the table. Tanith reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder, gently using her power to lift his head it up to look at her.

"You don't have to, I can easily use what skills I have to get a place to stay." She smiled up at him, "But I like you and I want us to be together."

"You!" Bakura sputtered angrily running a hand through his hair. "You are too sentimental and---and _innocent_! Don't you know what kind of person I am?"

"A murderer and a thief."

He threw his hands up in frustration, "How can you say that without a thinking, like it's nothing?"

"Easy, that's who you are Bakura." Tanith replied with a smile.

"You are such a fool." He muttered. "Haven't you learned anything from earlier today? I will back stab you the first chance I get!"

"I know, it's a guarantee."

"You don't get it."

"_You_ don't get it." She replied. "That the first opportunity you have, you'll use it to your advantage. It's the one thing I can trust about you and that is the first step to a relationship."

"I can't believe you want a relationship with a murdering thief!"

"And you don't want one with a mischievous thieving apprentice?" she stuck out her lip even though he couldn't see it. "Doesn't everyone need at least _one_ friend?"

Bakura was stunned into silence. Here was the most naïve yet spirited girl he ever met and _she_ actually wanted to be _his_ friend. A young man who made it his life mission to steal from every crypt in Ancient Egypt, especially the old kings' just to tork the nobles off. 

Forget the guards, kill them. Who cares if you're already loaded down with more riches than the king, get more! Those were his mottoes and still this odd girl wanted to be his friend. His first real friend. 

He rose to his feet and sighed.

"Come on you filthy little street rat. Time to go home."

As the two left the bar, they didn't notice a pair of shifty eyes following them out the door…


	10. Menace

__

Thank you Kaz for putting up with my questions.and Good.quotes.com for the sign.

The slave, Zayd watched the white haired thief leave with the suspicious character he followed from the palace. He sipped his ale for a moment longer before returning to the palace to report to his master, Akunadin.

He found his master pacing inside his apprentice's room, the girl nowhere in sight. Zayd cleared his throat and bowed before the older man before giving his report.

"I followed a man who upset the pharaoh and discovered they met up with the thief I spied Tanith with earlier. I suspect the _man_ is none other than the girl."

Akunadin swore and marched out onto the balcony glaring down upon the city below. 

"Can you find the thief and Tanith?" he demanded in a cool and deadly voice.

"I will." The slave replied "What shall I do when I find them?"

Akunadin slowly turned and sighed, "Bring the girl to me, we have much to discuss."

"And the thief?"

"We'll see."

************************************

The floor was cold, the blanket was moth eaten, her wig itched and she could have sworn she saw a rat run off with her beard as a mate. But she wouldn't have it any other way. 

Tanith rolled over and looked at the young man asleep beside her. She watched the rise and fall of his chest, listened to his soft breathing. Asleep, Bakura was beautiful. The hard edges of his face softened. He pose was relaxed and at peace. He didn't look so old and wise anymore. He looked like the innocent boy he was before their home was destroyed.

Brown eyes snapped open and locked onto her own. For a moment alarm flashed across his face then recognition dawned on him and he let out a quiet sigh.

"Did I scare you?" she whispered.

"No!" he hissed back and rolled over. Tanith smirked and cuddled up to his back.

"What are you doing?" Bakura asked calmly in a low voice a moment later.

"I'm cold, you're warm."

"When I said you could stay with me, I didn't mean you could use me as a bedmate."

Tanith giggled and threw her arm around him, "You're warm."

Bakura nudged her arm off him with a sigh, rose to his feet and spread his blanket down on the floor then laid on it.

Tanith smiled and curled up behind him and threw her blanket and cloak over them both. Sometime during the night, Bakura turned over and threw an arm over Tanith and that was how they woke up.

"My beard ran off." She announced as Bakura rolled up their blankets and stored them in a hole in the wall. He looked at her and shook his head.

"I'm sure no one will know you're a girl under those rags." He shrugged. "If they do, I'll kill them before they touch you."

"No one will." Tanith replied and rattled a few broken vases along the walls. "And no one will touch you either."

"Sounds like a plan."

The Pickled Egg served them stew and ale for breakfast. They sat in relative silence sipping their drinks and eating their food when Bakura noticed someone was watching them.

"Don't look now but there's a man in the corner staring at you." He muttered. She nodded.

"I noticed. What's the plan?"

"The plan is to drink." Bakura replied motioning for the bar keep to bring him a drink. Once the man can over and set the beverage in front of him, Bakura whispered a few choice words to the man and sent him on his way. 

Tanith watched as the bar keep went to the bar poured a mug of wine and hand it to the man in the corner. When the man heard the drink was from Bakura he looked over at him with a stunned expression and saw the thief raise his glass up in a toast.

"What are you doing?" Tanith muttered as her friend tossed back the drink and waited for the man in the corner to do the same.

"I'm drinking." He replied as the man took up the silent challenge and threw back his own drink. Bakura smiled and motioned for the bar keep to fill both their glasses back up. Once it was done, Bakura again threw back his drink followed by the man in the corner. 

This went on back and forth for an hour until finally the man in the corner had one cup too many and passed out. Bakura roared with laughter.

"No one can beat me in a drinking contest!" he cried and chuckled, "Especially since I've been drinking water."

Tanith laughed, "Very smart, oh King of Thieves."

"Why thank you Princess." Bakura replied. "Now let's get out of here before I have to pay for our meal."

Tanith cracked up as they darted away out of sight.

"Why did we have to leave without paying?" she asked a moment later as they walked down the streets. "You probably have more riches than the king."

"Yes and I worked too hard getting those riches to fork it over to some greedy bar keep."

She giggled, "It was good stew. The guy does deserve _some_ money."

"I left him a nice note about his stew. He should be honored just to receive that!"

"But what if he has five children to feed? It isn't fair that we gypped him if he has to feed five children."

Bakura snorted, "You're too sensitive. The owner probably has a opium addiction he has to worry about more than children."

"I'm not sensitive, I just think of others."

"Don't." he replied firmly. "You'll live a lot longer and much happier if you just thought about yourself."

Tanith smiled and gazed up at the morning sky, "I don't know. I'm pretty happy the way I am and with the life I've led."

"Kissing up to some man who you ended up running away from? Oh yeah, lovely."

"I only kiss up when I've been caught pulling pranks on the pharaoh's priests." She chuckled and linked her arm in his. "And if that doesn't work, I use any means necessary."

"Any means like what you tried using with me?"

She cut her eyes toward him, "Ya know you like me."

"As much as I would like being bit by a rat."

Tanith shoved Bakura away from her, "You're no fun."

"I'm a thief not a court jester."

"You're a real jerk that's what."

"Why thank you." Bakura replied with a bow.

She smacked on the shoulder and received a prompt fist to her arm. Tanith scowled and punched him back. This time Bakura punched her across the jaw. Tanith sent her new friend sailing four feet into a basket weaver's goods.

"Eat that!" Tanith cried whipping her wig off in anger. _It itched_!

Bakura crawled to his feet and summoned his Kaa monster. Its giant bat like wings sprang from its large muscular body. Bat wing like ears on a small head with glowing white eyes. A sharp chin extended from his head like a beard would on an Egyptian bust of a pharaoh.

People began to scream at the revealing of the angry monster Diabound. Tanith stood agape at the transformation that the monster went through. Her only thought, a solemn wish she had a Kaa just as powerful. All she had was her power to move things.

"Let's see you top this." Bakura said pleased at the fear and chaos he created.

"I don't need to." Tanith replied calmly crossing her arms before her. "Keep this up, we're going to get the Priests breathing down our necks."

"And what do I care about these Priests. You fear them more than I." He told her. 

"I fear them because they were the ones who destroyed our home." She retorted without thinking. Tanith held her breath. _Too close!_

"The pharaoh destroyed Kuruelna." Bakura shouted. "His priests may have done the deed but _he_ ordered it."

_No my friend, he didn't. My master did. The king had no idea what creating the Millennium Items entailed. My king is innocent, my master is not._ Tanith thought sadly. She shook her head and sighed.

"What? No witty retort?" he continued with a sneer. "I'm surprised you're not defending your _pharaoh_."

"When his time comes, he will be judged." She replied.

Bakura let out a harsh laugh, "When I am ready _I_ will judge him and steal all his power and riches."

"That pathway will lead to destruction, Bakura." Tanith warned. She looked around and noticed armed guards approaching. "We need to forget our little war and think about getting out of here. Soldiers approach."

Bakura looked at the men marching purposely towards them and grinned viciously. 

"Up for a bit of fun, Princess?"

She frowned and looked back and forth between her friend and the guards. Understanding dawned on her face then a mischievous grin slowly appeared on her face.

"What do you have in mind?"

"A game of Knock-the-soldier-down?"

Both teenagers chuckled and Diabound was sent swooping down upon the guards as barrels were sent into the rest. The monster grasped struggling man after man and threw them away from it into the sky. When there were no more barrels, gobs of horse poo were flung into the eyes of the fleeing men

"That was fun." Tanith said once the soldiers were gone. "We should get into arguments more often."

Bakura smirked as his monster faded away, "So how many did you score? I got ten."

"Five with the barrels, five with the horse crap.. equals…we're tied." She replied with a laugh.

He chuckled as well and threw his arm around the petite girl, "Let's see what sort of trouble we can get into elsewhere."

************************************

"Master?" Zayd said before bowing before the robed man pacing on the balcony off Tanith's room. The slave waited for the man to acknowledge him before continuing but as minutes passed, Priest Akunadin continued pacing as he had continued doing since noon.

"I have news of the girl." Zayd told his master. The older man stopped and calmly motioned for the man to continue. "A group of soldiers patrolling in the city came back to report a red haired demon and her white haired lover sent their spawn after them and flung dung in their eyes with their 'powers of darkness'"

The priest chuckled, "Yes that does sound like my apprentice. What else have you heard?"

"That these same individuals went on a rampage of looting shops, stealing goods and –erm- causing general trouble for the people."

"Describe _general trouble_."

"A self respecting woman had her dress flipped over her head and was extremely embarrassed. Wineskins full of yak pee were dropped on various members of the populace. Fruit mysteriously began to fly and attack their merchants. A dead dog was dumped from the top of the palace walls and a sign was placed by it."

"What did the sign say?" Akunadin inquired trying not to laugh.

"Here lies all cold and hard, the last dumb dog that pooped in my yard –signed Pharaoh."

The priest didn't know whether to laugh or demand Tanith's head on a platter. Most of the girl's antics were childish and didn't demand attention but…

"How many people have seen that sign?" he inquired.

"Six before I removed it. An hour later I happen to walk by and a dead cat with another sign was there."

"And this sign read?" Akunadin asked dreading the answer.

"Cat: the other white meat."

The priest threw up his hands and began pacing again, "She is pushing the boundaries of my patience. First she insults Pharaoh then she attempts to anger the gods. Have I raised this child wrong?"

"No master."

"Of course you wouldn't think so, you're a slave." Akunadin snapped. "Ra I wish Tanith was here. If she was she'd know exactly what to say and not be afraid to say it."

"But if she was here, you wouldn't have the problem at hand." The slave meekly replied. The priest stormed over and slapped the slave across the face.

"When I want your opinion I'll ask it!" he seethed and went back to pacing on the balcony. "Leave me and find Tanith. Don't return until you have her."

The slave bowed, "Yes master." And left without a word

************************************

Tanith curled up next to Bakura on their shared blanket and gazed up at the night sky above them. She smiled in remembrance of all the things her friend and her did. Dropping wineskins off buildings, leaving dead animals all along the palace walls with funny signs nearby.

She giggled, "Remember that one sign next to the dung pile?_ It's not dung, it's an offering to the earth_."

"I remember the time we dragged someone's donkey to the palace walls and stuck a crown on him similar to the pharaoh's."

"Your idea, not mine."

"And whose idea was it to attach that sign to a cat that read _Cat the other white meat_?"

"That would be you." Tanith replied. "I did the dog one, wherever it went."

"It was funny, insulting and yet tactful."

"Tact is for people not witty enough for sarcasm."

"Must practice that."

Tanith laughed and pulled the blanket over them both. She laid back in Bakura's arms and yawned. "Being a menace to society takes a lot out of a person."

Bakura yawned too, "It sure does."

"Tell me something."

"What?"

"Can I see where you stash your treasure? I promise not to tell."

"No."

"Okay."

But as they both drifted off to sleep, Bakura began to have second thoughts about the matter.


	11. The beginning of the end

__

Thank you thank you Kaz!!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

She was being prodded. 

Prodded by a sharp thing, she realized as she opened her eyes and squinted up at whomever was poking her.

_Guards!_ Her mind shrieked as she quickly sat up and shook Bakura awake.

"What now?" he muttered.

"Bakura sweetie, we're surrounded by guards." 

Bakura shot up to a sitting position immediately.

"By the order of Pharaoh, you are both under arrest." The one closest to Tanith announced.

"For what reason." She demanded as her and Bakura slowly rose to their feet under the supervision of the guards.

"For treasonous actions against the pharaoh."

Tanith wiped her forehead in relief, "Thank Ra, here I was thinking it was for that cat the other white meat sign I put up."

The guards looked at her in shock. Both heard of the seditious sign that was the talk of many temples and the palace. Once they recovered from their shock they prodded both teens with their spears.

"What now?!" Tanith exclaimed as she dug in her feet and turned to Bakura, "I think they want us to go with them."

"Whatever gave you that impression." He replied mildly before being shoved forward toward the palace.

People stared at the two teens as they marched in front of the armed soldiers. Tanith heard their whispers and made faces at the people they passed. Bakura merely glared at them and back at the guards.

Upon entering the palace, three more guards were added to the mix and began to separate Bakura from Tanith. It took two for the angry girl to be taken to her room while the remaining three dragged Bakura away to the dungeons.

"If you don't let go of me right this minute you stupid storm troopers," Tanith screamed as she was guided into her room. "I'm gonna shove those foolish sticks straight up your--"

"Tanith." A familiar firm voice interrupted. He turned away from the balcony view and faced her as the guards shut the door behind them.

"Master."

Akunadin smiled at the now reserved girl in front of him. Her hair was in tangles, her eyes were downcast and she wore some smelly clothing. But she was still beautiful to him. 

"Your friend has been taken to the dungeons to await execution for the crimes of kidnapping, defiling the name of Pharaoh and insulting the gods." He told her matter-of-factly. "No doubt by this time tomorrow he will be dead. What have you to say about that?"

"That one: I wasn't kidnapped, I ran away. Two: I wrote that sign and three: _I_ wrote that other sign too!"

He shrugged as he sauntered up to her, and tilted her chin up so they could face one another, "I _could_ call off his execution-- _if_ you became my bed partner."

Tanith snorted and jerked her head to the side, "Ooo look at me, my name is Mary Sue and Master Akunadin likes me."

"Mary what?!"

Tanith ignored him and continued in a sugar sweet voice, "I can make things move, I befriended Bakura, can kick anyone's butt and-and I'm beautiful and have really great hair and I'm smart! _Really_ smart!"

"Tanith." Her master said calmly but she went on.

"I survived a great catastrophe, I can drink most of the guards under the table." She wasn't going to add that she'd make sure she was drinking water beforehand like Bakura. 

She was going to continue but Akunadin grabbed a hold of her and shook her.

"Stop it!"

"Then don't make me decide between you and Bakura. I'll forget what you just said and we can go back to normal. You confess all your sins to me and I be a good little apprentice and stir up trouble from time to time." She cried.

He turned away from her, "Things can never be normal again."

Tanith frown and turned him back to face her. He kept his gaze away from her and sighed.

"I told him. I told my brother, that to save his kingdom, I sacrificed the lives and souls of your village."

She gasped, "So pharaoh knows--about Kuruelna."

Akunadin nodded, "I told him how I made the Millennium Items, exactly how I murdered your family and the rest of the village."

Tanith hugged him, "You didn't have to."

"I did!" he argued pushing her away. "I wanted things to be clear for us. It was always between us how I wasn't brave enough to tell my king that I created the Items with the blood and souls of your people."

_You did it for me,_ she whispered in her inner most mind. Aloud she asked quietly, "How did Pharaoh take the news?"

Her master began to pace, "He's horrified! Ashamed! Angry with me! Angry at himself. Last I saw, he was destroying his rooms. If he continues in this manner I'm afraid for him."

"Afraid he'll do something he might regret?"

"Afraid for his health. He looked feverish, his eyes took on a wildness I've never seen."

Tanith nodded, "I see. Did you explain to your brother that you didn't kill everybody in Kuruelna? That there is a survivor from the massacre." _Let's keep Bakura out of this for now.._

"I explained that I took you in, raised you as I would my own child but my brother was so caught up in the knowledge that _he_ ordered the murders of so many that he didn't seem to hear me."

"You ordered the deed done, Master. Pharaoh didn't know, why is he blaming himself?"

Akunadin sighed and ran a hand through his hair, unconsciously ripping out strands. "You do not understand such matters, Tanith. When one is pharaoh, one takes on the responsibilities of his men. When one follower kills, the pharaoh kills."

"When his High Priest orchestrates the mass killing of a village, it is the Pharaoh who does it."

"Correct." He sighed, "And it was all for nothing."

"You saved the people of the kingdom, you spared them the horror and terror of Kuruelna's fate." She argued.

"I made Kuruelna's fate!" Akunadin snapped. "I caused their suffering, the bloodshed, their unrestful spirits still haunt me to this day!"

_You caused Bakura to hate,_ she added silently. _You created the man he is._

"Is that why you spared me? So I too can haunt you?" Tanith asked quietly. "Is the true reason you want me to become your bedmate because you want me to hate you--and I will, no doubt there. Do you wish for me to torment your conscience for the rest of my days?" 

"I want you to love me as I love you." He cried turning to her.

She looked at the once proud and mighty man before her. He almost seemed to age before her. She noticed his light hair had turned white. His bright lavender eyes became dull and torn. Where was the Master she grew up with? Where was the great man she first met?

"I'm sorry Master." Tanith told him solemnly. "I cannot love you. You are my Master and friend. My keeper, your confidant and nothing more."

Anger clouded his features as he spat out, "Then you will never see your friend alive again." Then he stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her. She crept up to the door and placed her ear to it, hearing the words being spoken outside.

"Do _not_ let her leave until the boy thief is executed." Master snapped to the guards posted outside the door.

"What if she were to cast a demon spell. Make something fly at us." One asked with fear.

"Then the gods will have a red haired sacrifice after all these years."

Tanith pulled her ear away from the door with a sense of dread. _If I try to escape, I'll be burnt alive. But if I don't Bakura will be beheaded! Oh great Bast, please show me a way to avert Bakura's execution and do it without facing my own._

She decided to change out of her clothes. They were getting too itchy and were of little use while she was imprisoned. She donned a dark blue silk shift edged with pale lavender. Once dressed she unhappily stood before the door again to think.

At that time the kitten Conniption popped out from under her bed and scampered up to her mistress. She mewed pathetically and clawed up the dress to Tanith's shoulder where she began nuzzling her check.

"Nippy, do you know a way out other than the door?" Tanith asked the kitten. With a daring leap down, landing roughly on her feet, led the girl to her bed and crawled underneath.

With a frown, Tanith lifted the bed with her power and discovered her kitten sitting on the second step of staircase leading underground. With a cry of delight, the girl raced down the steps and replaced the bed behind her.

For awhile the only thing Tanith could see was darkness. After about twenty steps, she began to see light ahead of her. Then at the base of a wall torch she found her kitten waiting.

"Good kitty! Thank you Bast!" Tanith cried grabbing the torch from the wall. She knelt down in front of her cat. "Nippy, can you show me the way to Bakura?"

_"Mew"_ the kitten replied and scampered off with her mistress following.

*******************************************************************

There were five hundred and thirty-four cracks in the wall and twenty bloodstains on the floor inside his cell. There were two big tough guys in the cell to Bakura's right that were in for attacking one of Pharaoh's soldiers. 

Both seemed to be eyeing the teen with a bit too much interest for his tastes and if they decided to join Bakura in his cell they'd receive a very stern warning from Diabound.

In the cell on Bakura's left there were a number of men gathered around someone in rags and the sound of skin hitting skin echoed in the dank room. The teen ignored the grunts and groans but couldn't really ignore it when the person in rags face was rammed into bars beside him. He just did not like prison fights.

"Hey pretty." One of the men to his left beckoned. "Why don't you come closer so I can get a good look at'cha."

"Go away." Bakura replied immediately annoyed at his circumstances and the men around him.

"Aw don't be that way, cutie, how 'bout you and I go hitting the hot spots?."

"Sorry, I don't go for those outside my species."

The man scowled as his cellmates began to laugh then got a smug grin on his face, "I can tell that you want me."

Bakura smiled sweetly, "Ohhhh. You're so right. I want you--.to _leave me alone_."

The other prisoners around the teen began to laugh at the other man who was turning beet red in embarrassment and anger.

"Think you're so high and mighty, don'tcha." He snapped. 

Bakura finally turned and looked at him, sending him the meanest and dirtiest glare he could muster--which was pretty darn scary if making the cellmates cower away and the man turn white was any indication.

"Hey you're real funny." One man on the right said.

"Hey you're stupid." Bakura shot back.

No one saw the guard go racing off and appear moments later flying gently into his chair where he laid unconscious. Nor did they see a shadow creep up upon them.

"Why don't you come over here and say that." The tough man snapped. 

Bakura shook his head. "I'm lazy."

"What's a nice boy like you doing in a place like this?" someone new asked behind him. Bakura turned and his eyes lit up.

"Tanith!" he exclaimed running up to the door as a tiny kitten padded up to him and began winding itself between his legs. He noticed the feline and frowned down at her. "You brought a rat."

Tanith concentrated on the bars and they slowly bent to the sides as she replied, "That _rat_ led me here. Looks like Bast favors you."

Once the bars were far enough apart Bakura stepped through them to freedom.

"The only thing that favors me is luck, let's get out of here." Bakura replied. Tanith motioned to her cat to come out and knelt down in front of her when the creature came.

"Nip, find Kura and I a way out."

_"Mew"_ the feline replied and began walking off back into the shadows and back into the secret passages, leaving the shouting prisoners and oblivious guard behind.

It was after many twists and turns through a maze of darkness with only one torch to light the way and they were far enough away for no one to over hear did they speak again.

"We're following a rat."

"My Conniption is not a rat." Tanith argued. "She's a young cat being led by Bast the patron goddess of cats and goddess of life, dance and music."

"The pussy goddess."

Tanith shot him a dirty look over her shoulder as a ruckus was heard ahead of them. Suddenly they found themselves face to face with spear bearing guards.

"Oh my."


	12. If I can't have her, nobody will

"Oh my…" Bakura murmured quietly.

"Oh crap." Tanith added wide-eyed. Conniption calmly peered back and forth between the startled guards and the startled teens.

"You're that red haired she-witch!" one of the guards exclaimed. The men behind him brought their spears to arms.

"Tanith, clear a path!" Bakura ordered. With a nod and a wave of her hand, the girl parted the men like the Red Sea and ran through them followed closely by Bakura and her cat.

"Stop!" they yelled behind him as they raced through the passages.

"Hey Bakura, they want us to stop."" Tanith exclaimed as Bakura dashed ahead of her.

He glanced behind them, grabbed his partner's hand and put on more speed then said, "Do they think we're crazy?"

Tanith laughed, "Must be."

Suddenly she gasped and fell back. Bakura pulled on her hand but she continued to slow and weaken. He turned to glance behind him at her and saw her cough up blood.

"Bakura stop!" she gasped and collapsed into his arms face first. His face turned white upon seeing a spear protruding from her back. She turned around and glanced at the ceiling as the guards quickly approached. Immediately, the ceiling caved in front of the men blocking them from reaching the teens. 

"That should stop them." Tanith whispered and relaxed in Bakura's arms.

"Come on, let's get out of here." He whispered gathering her up. She shook her head.

"Leave me."

"I'm not leaving you." Bakura told her firmly.

"That cave in won't hold the guards and I'm already--"

He laid her down and placed a finger over her lips, "You're going to get out of here."

Tanith shook her head, "No you and I know that's not true."

Bakura fought the tears that threatened to come, "No! You and I are getting out of here and when we do and you get better, we're going to rob the biggest, richest tomb in Egypt. Then we're going to drink the drunks under the floor."

Tanith laughed quietly, "That sounds like a good plan. But it's not meant to be. Leave me here Bakura, I'll be fine."

He shook his head this time, "The guards--"

"Will what? Kill me? No, I know exactly what they'll do and I'll be fine. Go. I want to know you got out safely."

"But how?"

"Follow my cat." She whispered, "She'll lead you out. I know she will."

Bakura looked down at the cat peering at them just inside the light of the fallen torch and sighed. He gently laid Tanith against the wall, being extra careful of the spear jutting out of her back then he rose to his feet.

"Goodbye Princess."

"Goodbye, my friend."

Then he and the kitten were gone.

She waited for what seemed like dark hours to pass until she moved the rocks aside and allowed the guards to approach her dying body.

"Take me to Master Akunadin." She told them weakly. "Please?"

The guards looked to one another for guidance until one brave man came up to her, broke off the spear inside of her and lifted her up into his arms.

Tanith felt as if the world was slowly blurring and slipping away from her. Her eyes gazed at the dank dungeon and only saw blurred darkness with streaks of white. Time was slipping away.

She closed her eyes for only a moment and when she opened them, she found herself gazing at her Master's sorrowful lavender orbs.

"Tanith." He whispered as a single trail of tears fell down his face. "My poor beautiful child." She smiled and cupped his dry cheek, "Don't be sad master. It was meant to be, I can see that now."

Akunadin took a hold of her hand and placed a tender kiss on it. "You cannot leave me."

Tanith didn't seem to hear him, "The destruction of my home, you and I meeting, Bakura and I meeting and now this. It was all meant to be. Can you not see it too? The gods' plan for us all?"

"What do you see?" he asked.

She gazed up at only something she could see "I can see the end of the pain you bare. I see you and Seto standing side by side. I can see the end of Pharaoh's pain too. He is happy."

Then her gaze became more distant and she laughed.

"You'll get your just deserts." She said before she died and everything went dark.

*********************************************

__

The present

"Are you sure Rashid?" Isis said into the speakerphone. She still didn't quite understand why Bakura came marching into her office at the museum trailed by Yami, Ryou, Yugi, Tea, Joey and Tristan. Something about her brother _kidnapping _Tanith Rivencroft? 

__

Why would my brother kidnap a girl he swore up and down he hated, Isis asked herself leading to her to call her brother's trusted servant and check up on her wayward sibling.

"Yes, for the past week there has been strange happenings here." Rashid replied. "Odd deliveries and recently pictures and windows rattling for no reason. Master appearing covered in blood not of his own just a few moments ago."

It was confirming everyone's worst fears. Marik was back!

"Did you know Tanith Rivencroft is missing?" Isis inquired as the other people in her office began to fidget. Well Tea was fidgeting, Bakura and Ryou were pacing Yami was plotting Marik's demise—again. Yugi was watching his yami plot while Joey began cracking his knuckles imagining a fight between him and her brother.Tristan just lounged against the wall casually.

"By Ra, he didn't--" Rashid muttered.

"Apparently he did!" Bakura exclaimed angrily. "That psycho used his Millennium Item to get my hitokage alone and now is doing only Ra knows what to her!"

"Bakura." Yami said quietly. The other yami shot him a dirty look but was silent.

Everyone heard Rashid sigh. "I shall go search for where Marik has her."

"No don't do anything yet." Isis told him. "We'll come and confront my brother's yami."

"As you wish." And they both hung up the phone.

"I can't believe Marik's back." Tea announced with a shudder. "I thought after that last fight between Tanith and him he left."

"Apparently he was biding his time." Yugi replied. "Planning, preparing."

"If he's hurt her--" Ryou began shaking with anger. Bakura gave him a strange look as Tea put her arm around him.

"I'm sure she's fine." she told him reassuringly. "Tanith's dealt with Marik _and _Malik before."

"But she's--" Ryou argued but Bakura cut him off.

"She knows how to defend herself. She's done it before, let's just get over to her before that fruitcake does something to her."

Isis led the way.

A lovely hedge maze led up to the front of the fortress type mansion. Flowers and ivy sprang up along the stone walls and were neatly trimmed at the start of the massive oak doors. Each first story wall showcased a lovely bay window with a view of the distant rose gardens full of deep red blooms. 

__

The windows look like they have bars on them, Ryou thought with a shudder.

"Jesus!" Joey exclaimed as Isis drove her sedan up the drive, revealing the beautiful building. "An' I thought Kaiba's place was big."

Isis smiled faintly, "My brother always was fond of castles and such." 

"And motorcycles" she added as an afterthought as she park the vehicle and everyone got out of the car. First came her and Yami followed by Bakura and Yugi. Then came Ryou, Joey, Tea and Tristan.

As they walked up the steps to the front doors, Bakura spied Malik's Harley sitting in the middle of a herb garden at the side. He shook his head and followed everyone inside. 

There to greet them was Rashid. He didn't seem worried but he also wasn't exactly his calm I-can-handle-my-master-is-a-possessed-psycho self.

"He's locked himself in his room." The man announced. "And I heard a very distinctive 'And where the heck are you taking me now, ya loopy loony' right before the door was slammed."

Bakura chuckled as Yami announced, "Sounds like Tanith to me."

"She's ever so inventive with her insults." Ryou added.

Meanwhile inside Malik's room, Tanith watched ever so amused as Marik tied her to a chair. She might have done something to him but she was still slightly out of it from the effects of the drug he kept pumping into her every chance he got. Like now after securing her to the chair, he again injected her with the clear liquid inside a syringe.

"You know if you keep doing that I'm going to get a tad dependent on that stuff." She said with a silly grin. "What is that stuff by the way?"

"Thorazine. I put one tablet through a coffee grinder, watered it down and pour it into the syringe to use." He replied watching her face.

She tried her best Bakura glare but her vision was getting a tad fuzzy and she was already getting tired. "I'm not going to ask where you got the stuff. I can guess. Malik see his shrink before you popped back up?"

He slapped her across the face, rocking the chair with the force of the blow. Tanith just laughed.

"You hit like a girl!" she replied secretly wincing. Marik stormed away from her to go retrieve something from his walk in closet.

"Sooo, what are we going to do now?" Tanith asked a moment later. "Play more chess? Sorry, I don't have the Ring anymore."

"I don't want it." Came the prompt reply.

"Okay chess is out. You tied me to a chair so I guess sex is out."

She heard Marik make a choking noise and she snickered.

"I remember what you told me last time we met, so it was only an good assumption of why I'm here, in _your room_."

"You talk too much." He replied followed by the sound of junk being thrown or shifted around.

Tanith tested her bonds, very tight. "Never been told that one before. Oh well! So what _am_ I doing here _Marik_? You like me, but you don't want to screw me. But still, I've been stalked, kidnapped, drugged, tied to a chair and you don't want a Millennium Item I no longer possess. What _do_ you want?"

He appeared carrying a box with a devious smile and gently set it under Tanith's seat. Once that was done, he backed away from her and began staring as if appreciating a fine work of art.

"I want a body." Marik told her. She frowned so he continued. "A body like you made for the stupid pharaoh and your yami friend."

"I got news for you; I don't know how I did it. All I remember of the matter was thinking of grabbing everything I could of 'Kura and keeping it together. The next thing _I_ know, poof, Bakura has a body and I get a phone call announcing Yami has one too."

He slapped her, "Don't lie to me. You have Shadow powers."

She growled and shook the slap off, "I don't have Shadow Powers! Even back in Egypt I didn't" she then realized what she let slip out. She winced and swore in the Ancient dialect.

"You have an Ancient Egyptian past as well, hm? What was that past?"

Tanith laughed nervously, "I was some dude named Akunadin's apprentice."

Marik looked shocked and back away from her, "The Dark Priest's apprentice?! By Ra! What spells must be locked inside that head of yours!"

"Uh Marik, I didn't learn any spells. The guy didn't trust me to learn, he just wanted me to teach him how I moved things. And what is with the 'Dark Priest' bit?"

He didn't seem to hear her and continued muttering, "The power of darkness can be mine. All I have to do is.."

The sound of the door being rammed interrupted his thoughts.

"Tanith?! Open the door Ishtar! We know she's in there!"

She laughed, "Bakura! You lucky son of a jackal where've you been?"

On the other side of the door, the tomb robber smirked and joined Yugi, Joey and Tristan in again ramming the door. Yami oversaw the work while Tea nervously fidgeted. Ryou bit his lip trying to decide whether to join the boys in the ramming or remain behind to watch Rashid and Isis who were gearing up for another fight with Malik's yami.

"The door's reinforced oak, you can't get in!" Marik told everyone outside.

"Feels like reinforced steal." Tristan quipped rubbing his shoulder. Bakura shoved everyone aside, and pulled out his deck.

"Oak won't stop my Headless Knight!" he replied summoning the monster into this world and commanded it to break the door down.

Tanith cheered as the door crashed open into pieces and fell into a fit of giggles at the sight of Marik's angry face.

"Hey boys, welcome to the party." She greeted as everyone stepped inside. "I'd greet you properly but, as you can see, I'm a little tied up."

Bakura's glance shifted from his giggling hitokage to the angry yami and demanded, "What have you been using on her?"

Marik smirked and replied with a shrug, "Nothing of consequence."

Yami stepped up then and spoke, "Free Tanith this instant, Marik!"

His enemy merely smiled, "Oh I would, scary as you all are, but you see that box under Tanith? Until she gives into my demands, it will ensure she stays with me."

Bakura and Yami looked puzzled at the mysterious box until Ryou gasped in revelation then began slowly backing up.

"I hate to say this but Marik's right." He barely whispered. About that time, Yugi caught on.

"It's a bomb!" he exclaimed in fear.

Bakura and Yami frowned and didn't quite get why everyone except Isis and Rashid were beginning to edge toward the door with the uttering of three words. Tanith took pity on the confused yami's and explained.

"A bomb is a lovely device that causes things to catch fire real quick, destroy things and make anyone within a range of oh, ten feet, die real fast. Real painfully."

Bakura's face turned red in fury, "You. Set. That. Thing. Under. _MY_. Hitokage?!"

Marik looked proud, "Why yes I did. Until she gives me a body just like she's done you and the pharaoh, she going to wonder when her last moments are."

Bakura began to laugh along with Tanith. Everyone looked at the yami as if he joined his shadow into madness.

"You kidnapped Tanith, just because you wanted a body. That is so.."

Tanith finished for him, "Mad!"

"Actually I kidnapped Tanith so she could give me a body and then we could make mad love to each other." Marik clarified.

Tanith stopped giggling, "I'd rather make mad love to Bakura or Ryou."

Everyone's eyes slid to the blushing hikari or the smug yami.

"I never knew you felt that way about us." Bakura replied with a smirk. "Makes up for that time I sneaked a peak at you while we were still sharing a body."

"You sneaked a peak at me!?" she shouted fighting against her bonds. "When I get loose I'm gonna throttle you, Thief!"

"Then I won't tell you about that time I caught Ryou doing the exact same thing once when you spent the night with us."

Tanith glared at both of them, "You two are going to pay for this."

Marik went over and put his arm around her, "Don't you just hate being betrayed."

She shifted her glare toward him, "Can it, Ishtar."

Marik shrugged and backed away from her, "Fine, but you _are_ going submit and give me a body."

"No, she's not." Bakura retorted. "The only way she can is if she has a connection to you. Other than being her stalker." He added.

"She and Bakura have a past." Yami told him. "Her and his souls are interconnected."

"Then how did _you_ get a body?" Marik snapped.

"Feedback." Yugi replied. "It must have been left over power from Tanith."

Bakura snickered and cut a look at his nemesis, "Doesn't feel good to know you're just left overs?"

"Bakura!" Ryou scolded and received a cutting glare from his yami that sent him cowering.

"So I'm out of luck on receiving a body." Marik said with a resigned sigh.

"Afraid so." Tanith replied with a chipper smile. 

"So if you don't mind we'll be taking Tanith back." Joey told him taking a step toward the girl.

Marik chuckled, "I don't think so." He said pulling a remote from his back pocket and pressed a button on top. From under Tanith's chair, the bomb began to beep.

"Tanith's mine." He said coming up behind and holding her close. "If I can't have her, nobody will."


	13. Explosion!

"You psychotic fruit loop!" Tanith exclaimed as Yami commanded his hikari and friends to leave. Ryou was torn between staying with Bakura, Yami, Isis and Rashid or leaving with everyone else.

"Disable the bomb, Marik." Yami commanded.

"When will you learn people don't have to do everything you say." Marik asked with a smile.

"He has a point there." Tanith added.

"Stop taking his side, he's trying to kill you." Bakura snapped then noticed Ryou standing around and shoved him toward the door. "Get out of here!"

Ryou ran away like a puppy that had been kicked. Multiple times at that.

"Disable the bomb." Yami commanded again. Marik nuzzled Tanith with his chin and shook his head.

"Marik, please…for my brother" Isis begged. "He has nothing to do with this."

"Your brother almost killed _my_ Tanith for the sole reason I like her." Marik retorted. "He deserves to die simply for that reason."

"He does have yet another point." Tanith added. "And I'm not yours, _Marik_."

"Stop egging him on." Bakura scolded. She shrugged and muttered something about touchy yamis.

"We're at an impasse it appears. You can't _make_ me disable the bomb in fear I'll detonate it early and I am willing to wait until it _does_ go off. A no win situation if there ever was." Marik announced proudly. "But I'm willing to turn the device off, if Tanith gives me a body. Then I win, you win and everyone is happy."

"But she can't do it!" Bakura exclaimed in frustration. "Why can you not get that through your thick head?"

Marik shrugged, "Then she dies."

"It wouldn't be the first time." Tanith replied with a yawn. "A spear in the back, being blown to kingdom come; eh doesn't matter to me."

"It matters to me!" Bakura retorted. "We haven't robbed any tombs. Or drink any drunks under the table."

She smiled sweetly in remembrance with a yawn, "We did pull some mean pranks on Kaiba. Sent a email virus throughout the Kaiba Corp network. Specially designed too. Reversed his dueling system to play monsters the opposite of what they were played…"

"And don't forget that lovely spam bomb you sent to the Pharaoh." Bakura added and both yami and hitokage chuckled.

Yami spun on him, "That was you two? I thought I did something wrong to Yugi's computer!"

"Shows what you know of technology." The tomb robber shot back with.

Marik cleared his throat, "I hate to interrupt your moment but you have about five minutes to say your good byes."

Tanith shut her eyes, "Guess this is good bye again old friend."

"I'm not leaving you behind this time."

"Suits yourself." Tanith replied. "I'm going to sleep. Night."

* * *

  


She found herself in a room similar to her soul room. The candle lit table set for two. Dark indigo silk drapes. Thick plush black carpeting under her bare feet. From the shadows a familiar figure sat before at the table.

"When I was young, I used to dream of a red haired girl who looked almost like you." He told her. Tanith tried to figure out where she had seen this man before. There was something very familiar about his lavender eyes.

"She had the same hair as you. But it was the eyes that were different. Her eyes belayed a sadness deep inside her. Your eyes spit blue fire at anyone who dare look upon them."

"Yeah, I guess." She replied nervously. 

"Then when I became a man, I no longer dreamt of her. No more dreams of her laughing or crying or even her angry shouting." He told her.

"Who are you?"

He smiled just a little bit, "I am the Tomb keeper."

Tanith nodded as if she understood, which she didn't. _He looks so familiar, who is he really?_

"I'd like for you to do something for me, Tanith." He asked her. "I want you to tell my sons how sorry I am to have hurt them as I have."

"I'll try." She replied with a shrug. He nodded as if satisfied.

"Could you do me another favor?"

She nodded.

"I want you to save him. Try as hard as you can to save him."

"Save who?" Tanith asked as the dream began to fade and realization on the identity of the mysterious man hit.

"Save my son, all of him."

Tanith awoke with a gasp, a name on the tip of her tongue.

"You didn't sleep long, m'love." Marik said nuzzling the top of her head. 

"I'm not that tired." Tanith replied as Bakura snapped, "Don't call her that!"

She looked around the room with clarity, the drugs already gone from her system. A little ways away, a pile of clothing wiggled. Tanith nodded with satisfaction, she would give it all she had.

"Yami. I want you, Isis, Bakura and Scar face to leave."

"Tanith, I'm not leaving you again." Bakura replied angrily as Yami tugged Isis toward the door. She and Yami left peacefully. Bakura wouldn't.

"Bakura, you are the greatest pain and the greatest friend I've ever had." Tanith told him. She glanced at Rashid and motioned to Bakura with her head. The man nodded and threw the tomb robber over his shoulder and carried him screaming out the door.

"We're all alone." She told her captor serenely.

"Didn't wish to endanger your friends I see." He replied with a sneer. "A weakness I never noticed in you before."

"That's because I never had friends when we last met." Tanith said loosening her bonds with her mind. "Now I have Ryou and his friends plus a yami to worry about. Since _you_ don't have friends you wouldn't get how much I care for them."

"What kind of friends would leave you to die?"

The last of the ropes slid free as Tanith leaned forward and sent her head back into Marik's face, then rolled away from him as he screamed in pain.

"The kind that know I can take care of myself!"

"It seems the drugs have worn off." Marik muttered as he cradled his chin. He smiled deviously, "No matter, you'll never get out in time to save yourself."

"I don't need to." She replied. "Something has come to my attention. While I was sleeping, some things began to click."

"Like what?"

"Why you're so drawn to me for one."

Marik smirked, "So I find you're beautiful, smart, and very sexy."

"Why thank you." Tanith replied with a sneer. "But I know the real reason why you find me all those great things."

"And what would that be?"

"Who your father is." She revealed. Marik lost his smile as she continued. "I bet your father was one mean SOB. Hurt you both _bunches_ all in the name of educating. Maybe took something painful to your back."

He began to glower at her and took an unconscious step away from her. _Did she know of the ritual that created him?_ Marik wondered.

Tanith smiled, noticing that step away from her. "I see he did. He made you study and live up to some 'great destiny' you were to perform that was of _his_ design, not yours."

She continued ruthlessly, "But you never got to while he was around, so what did you do?"

"I killed him."

Tanith tried not to look shocked at the confession, and continued with her attack. "Good for you! Hope it was painful. Bet it was, a evil man such as yourself is sure to make sure it was painful as can be."

"He died too quick. He deserved to suffer, suffer like we did!"

She smiled sweetly, "You bad boy! What would Mommy say to that?"

Marik froze in his fury, his eyes locked onto hers. "What. Did you say?"

"I said what would your mother say?" Tanith replied harshly storming up right up to his face. "Would she love to hear how much her baby boy loves to kill? Oh yeah I bet she would."

Marik's face slowly turned red as she continued her speech.

"Bet she was a blood thirsty cow. Practically drank the stuff. Wonder if she smoked some weed to create such a stupid, brainless son of a—" Marik's hands around her throat stopped her. 

He threw her across the room, then trampled over to where she lay stunned, dragged her up by her throat and slammed her into the wall. When he finally spoke, it was with both Marik and Malik's voice.

"Do not talk about my mother!!"

She choked out a laugh, "Finally stuck a nerve did I? Good!"

"Shut up!" they screamed slamming her into the wall again.

"I bet your parents were inbred." She shouted through compressed air pipes. Tanith continued in a dopey tone of voice. "Uh, not only is my mommy my mom but she's also my aunt!"

"Shut up!" was followed by another slam into the wall. Already she was seeing stars but she continued just as harsh.

"But maybe she wasn't your aunt. I bet she was really your sister! Ishtar and Ishtar going at it just to make you!"

"Would you shut up!" they shouted slamming her into the wall with every word. He finally released her and allowed her to slide down to the floor where he began kicking her. "Shut up about my mother, shut up about my father and _shut up about me_!"

Tanith laughed not even bothering to deflect the blows to her body. 

"You know, I'm not even going to bother with you any more." Marik finally said as he pulled out his Millennium Rod. "You are going straight to the Shadow Realm."

That was exactly what Tanith had been waiting for. As Marik began working his magic, she silently prayed to the gods for help as she drew upon the only spell she learned from her previous life. 

Just as a wave of power erupted from the rod, Tanith felt power beside her own reach out of her and slam through the barrage straight into Marik. He began to scream silently and began to be enveloped in shadows. Then it was over.

Tanith knew she had to work fast to accomplish the hardest thing she ever had to do.

* * *

  


Bakura was still screaming and threatening Rashid as they ran out the door and raced through the maze to the end of the drive where everyone awaited.

"Where's Tanith?" Yugi asked no one in particular. "What's going on?"

"Miss Rivencroft had a plan that did not require us." Rashid said over Bakura's ranting.

"Was Marik still with her?" Isis asked. "Or did my brother return."

"I don't care about that nut, let me go to Tanith!" Bakura screamed angrily. "She needs me!"

"If Rashid says she has a plan then she has a plan and doesn't need us butting in." Tristan told him. He received the tomb robber's famous glare of death.

Tea looked at the fortress and bit her lip, "Shouldn't they be out by now? It's been three minutes, they only have two more."

"We should go back inside." Ryou said with fear in his eyes. "Maybe she _does_ need us like Bakura said."

"I'm sure her plan will succeed and we'll see her soon." Yami said confidently. Tea went into her boyfriend, Yugi's arms as everyone watched for Tanith.

A minute went by before anyone said a word. 

"She cutting it close don't you think?" Ryou asked nervously playing with his hair.

"Yeah." Yugi agreed quietly.

"Bet she's already out and is jerking our chain." Joey said confidently. "Ya know just to see our faces."

"Yeah!" Tristan agreed. "Remember that time she had Croquet call and tell us that Pegasus stole Tanith's soul, was plotting on taking over the world and his first mission was to turn all of us into marshmallows?"

Tristan joined Tea, Yugi, Ryou, Joey and Yami in laughter.

"I still remember Halloween where she rigged the shop up as the _'Turtle Dungeon'_. Plastic turtles hanging from the ceiling on hang man ropes. Turtles twitching anytime Grandpa made a sale. Screaming any time someone opened the door." Yugi said with a laugh.

"My personal favorite was when Tanith and I went costume shopping for that same Halloween. Somehow she talked me into a slinky harem outfit and Yugi into a biker costume." Tea laughed.

"Yug did look pretty funny with that fake beard." Joey commented.

"Oh? And do you recall what Tanith talked _you_ into wearing when she dragged us to Kaiba's mansion trick or treating?" Yugi countered.

"A doggie costume." Joey replied with a wince.

"I can't believe she talked Bakura into dressing up as an angel. Halo and all." Ryou said with a fond smile. From over Rashid's shoulder Bakura glared.

"If you also recall, she placed you in a red leather devil costume and you received all sorts of cat calls that night." The tomb robber shot back. "You even got a look from Kaiba."

Ryou blushed furiously, "I remember."

"My favorite Tanith moment was when she asked me to teach her how to play Duel Monsters." Yami told everyone. "She didn't once make any sarcastic remarks during the entire time I helped her assemble a deck and taught her how to play."

"I think that was the last time I ever heard her call you self righteous." Tristan replied. "You were now a slave driver."

Even Rashid had to chuckle at that and another moment of silence passed.

"Where is she and my brother?" Isis murmured.

"I'm sure she's fine." Yami replied.

Just then the entire house blew up.


	14. Aftermath

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl with a special gift. The gift to make things move with a thought. She lived in a small town with her mommy, her daddy and her big sister. She was a happy little girl with a happy life until one day…

It began with a fire that destroyed her little town, her mommy, her daddy and her beloved big sister. The little girl was picking flowers when she noticed the smell of smoke in the air. She looked up and saw the fire that destroyed her home rapidly approaching her and her pretty flowers.

So she did the only thing she could and made the fire stay back. The effort to save both herself and the flowers took so much from her, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

They say if you visit the remains of the little town, on the day of the fire, you can see the once happy little girl standing on a hill of flowers. Her red hair whipping in the breeze. Red as the three roses she holds in her hands.

***********************************

Isis was still crying when the fire trucks came. Every time she would moan her brother's name, the stoic Rashid would hold her tighter and smooth back her hair, allowing the tears to continue falling on his shoulder.

Bakura wasn't doing much better. He continue to sit beside Ryou on the grass, allowing his light to cry on his shoulder as he watched the firemen work. 

Tea felt as if her last tear would fall and then another would take its place. Yugi held her tight as they sat next to Ryou, watching but not seeing the firemen. All he kept seeing was the house explode and Isis begin to scream.

Yami glanced at Tristan and Joey beside him and Yugi. Though their eyes were dry, the once pharaoh could see the pain in their eyes. An ambulance arrived but he feared it would only carry away the remains of his friend and his greatest enemy.

He didn't know when he arrived but one moment Yami looked up and found Shadi standing beside him. Both waited in silence for the other to make the first move, say the first words.

"I was too late." The guardian finally murmured. "I came to help as soon as I knew. But I was too late to stop this."

"Brother!" Isis moaned behind them.

"And here I thought you knew everything." Bakura muttered then silently returned to watching the firemen.

"I am only human." Shadi replied.

"Sometimes I wonder." Was the tomb raider's parting shot.

"Why didn't she come out?" Ryou cried all of a sudden. "She could have snapped the ropes and run out but she stayed!"

Bakura rubbed his hikari's back and sighed._ Why _didn't_ she untie herself and get out? Why did she stay? _It occurred to him the reason why. _She wanted to save Marik. She's still as naïve as ever. Thinking that the world is all sugar and lollypops. She tried to hide it with her sarcastic remarks and harsh exterior but she's the same as she was in Egypt. And she died for it… again._

Yami came to the same conclusion as Bakura and said for all of them to hear, "She wanted to save him, even though he threatened her life and those she cared for. She still had to try to save him."

"Tanith was like that." Tea said with a sniff. "She used to try to help me with my homework. Even if she was a month behind on a million-dollar project, Tanith made the time to come over anytime I needed help."

"Remember that science project we were to had done last month?" Joey asked. "I slacked off until the last minute and was madly trying to think of a project to do. I was frantic until Tanith came over haulin' a fish aquarium with an ivy inside." 

He stopped and rubbed his eyes, "She said she knew I'd slack off and need her help. So she made me a bio-dome. I got a C thanks to her."

"She taught me how to set a VCR." Yami told everyone solemnly. "And make ramen in the microwave."

"She helped me understand calculus." Tristan added. "And she didn't even finish school."

"Tanith finished school." Bakura informed him. "Right after she took the job with Pegasus, she went and got her GED. She mailed me a copy of her certificate and stuck a smiley face sticker in one corner."

"When she came back, the three of us went out to eat." Ryou murmured. "It was her graduation party and she wanted us there. Just us." He laughed and began crying, "She called us her boys."

Bakura held his light tighter and gently as before, letting the boy cry. _She knew she was going to die and she wanted to make sure we lived. Just like before and I couldn't stop it!_

"We found a survivor!" a fireman cried. 

Tea lifted her head up with a gasp. Isis attempted to run over to the ambulance where the limp body was rushed. Bakura and Ryou jumped to their feet along with Joey and Tristan.

"We have to see who it is!" Isis gasped. Rashid pried her car keys away from her and everyone jumped into the vehicle and followed the ambulance to the hospital.

Seconds passed like minutes. Minutes passed like hours. Hours passed like days. Each of the gathered people in the waiting room took turns pacing. Isis followed by Bakura. Bakura followed by Ryou. Ryou followed by Yami. Yami before Yugi and then Joey and Tristan. Tea even paced as coffee was bought and passed out by Shadi.

Then Pegasus whooshed in and was filled in on the events that passed. Like most everyone else, he prayed the only survivor was the beloved Tanith.

Then a doctor came in.

"Miss Ishtar?"

Hopes were dashed and crying began as Rashid and Isis stood, waiting for the man's next words.

"There's good new and then there is bad news." He began. "Your brother is stable but has elapsed into a coma. We're not able to handle his long-term care here so I advise you to make preparations near your home in Egypt. I'll give you some names of those who can care for him later."

"Thank you Doctor." Isis said quietly. "What room is he in."

The man frowned, "Don't you want to hear about Malik?"

Isis opened her mouth and gave him a puzzled look but Rashid cut her off.

"Of course, how is Master Malik?"

"Unlike his twin, he got out with only a slight concussion and will have to stay over night. He's in room 830 with Miss Rivencroft."

Tears turned to gasps.

"Tanith's alive?!" Bakura exclaimed.

The doctor smiled, "Of course she is. The girl was talking a mile a minute, demanding some morphine for her migraine and a few cuts and scrapes." The doctor frowned, "We were worried about the blood coming from her eyes and mouth. But since the bleeding from her eyes stopped and we stitched up where she bit her tongue, she's been fine."

"Did you give her anything for the pain?" Bakura demanded for all those too shell shocked to speak.

"Yes, some Toradol through an IV."

"What room is she in again?" Ryou asked as everyone jumped to their feet and began talking excitedly. Bakura kept cutting nervous glances at the Millennium Ankt bearer.

"Room 830."

Everyone was gone almost immediately.

**********************************************

"Whose idea was it to stick the two of us in the same room?" Malik demanded glaring at the girl in the next bed. "Was it your dumb idea?"

Tanith was on buzz from the pain medication that dripping into her IV. She looked over at the angry boy next to her and snickered. "At least you don't have to worry about getting arrest for kidnapping, attempted murder, and destruction of property."

"Why did you spout off those lies about how I tied up my twin, which I don't have, and saved you and him _and me_ by shoving us all in a cellar that didn't exist?"

She giggled, "You got a twin now."

"Rivencroft."

"_Ishtar_." She countered with a laugh. _He's fun to play with…_

"Answer the question, why did you lie about what happened with you, me and my so called twin?"

"You didn't kidnap me, Marik did and now he can pay for his crimes."

Malik snorted, "What's your game? After all I've done to you and your friends, why?"

"_Why_? Because I don't hate" Tanith told him. "Hate is an ugly emotion that leads to ugly deeds like war, to destruction and murder. All those lead to sorrow but not only for other but for you as well."

"My hate is what created Marik."

"Explains a lot." She said with a laugh. "So…what made you hate so much to create Marik?"

Malik slid down out of his bed and approached Tanith's. "If I show you…"

"I promise not to make any cracks or tell any one about it."

He took off his shirt and turned around. Tanith gasp filled the silent room.

"What—Who did this to you? How did it …? How _old _were you when…" she whispered gently running her fingers over the hieroglyphics on Malik's back that spanned across his shoulders down below the waist of his pants.

"The first born son of the Ishtar clan's duty is to bear the Pharaoh's Memory." He told her quietly. "When I was twelve, I had to go through the ritual where the memories were carved onto my back. My father did it."

Everything was quiet until Malik heard the soft sobs of the girl that continued to run her fingers over each design. He turned around and saw Tanith was crying.

_She's crying for me_, he realized.

"How could a father do that to his own son?" she asked him. "Why didn't your mom stop him?"

Malik went back to his bed and put his shirt on, trying to ignore the girl beside him. She wiped her tears away and sighed, not expecting the answer that followed.

"My mother died when I was born and even if she was alive, she wouldn't have stopped my father. It was my duty."

"So that's why you got so mad when I made those remarks." She smirked and looked over at him. "If it makes you feel better, I just said those things just to tork Marik off enough to try sending me to the Shadow Realm. I didn't mean them."

Before Malik could respond, their friends and family came in. Immediately Isis hugged her brother while Ryou squeezed the life out of Tanith.

"Watch the IV, hikari. I need my pain killers." Tanith wheezed. Ryou laughed and released her long enough for Pegasus to hug her.

While Isis and Rashid spoke to Malik, everyone else spoke to Tanith.

"If you ever pull a stunt like this again, I will personally teach you the meaning of fear!" Bakura threatened as Yugi hugged her.

"Promises, promises." Tanith replied with a laugh.

"You scared everyone when you didn't come out of the building, you know." Shadi told her

She smirked, "Even you, turban boy?"

"Even me."

"Well I'm sorry, but I couldn't leave my stalker and Ishtar." She told them. Isis, Malik and Rashid turned and listened. "Someone, asked me to protect them and I owed this person that."

"Who?" Yugi inquired.

Tanith smirked, "Master Akunadin…that is, his reincarnation." She laughed before continuing. "The guy had a crush on me in a previous life and a part of his son has one now!"

"You talked to our father?" Isis asked as her brother's jaw dropped. Tanith nodded.

"Why yes I did, called himself the Tomb keeper though." She saw Rashid nod and went on, "He left a message with me as well."

"What was it?" Rashid asked the Ishtar siblings silently recovered from shock.

"He said quote '_to tell my sons how sorry I am to have hurt them as I have' _" 

"Son." Malik corrected. "He only has one, me."

"No, he said sons. Plural, as in two and he wasn't talking about Marik." Tanith retorted. She looked at Rashid in a new light, "He was talking about you."

"Father never acknowledged Rashid as a part of the Tomb Keeper clan." Isis murmured.

"Has now." Tanith replied with a smile and then frowned a bit, "Though I still don't get how he got in contact with me in the first place."

"It's not important. I doubt he'll do it again." Rashid told her.

"Let's hope not." She replied scowling. "I am _not_ playing John Edward with you guys again. On top of it he said he dreamed of me."

Tanith threw up her hands. "I got enough stalker problems without a hung up spook haunting me!"

Some people snickered at that.

"Speaking of stalkers," Tea said. "How did you do it? I mean with Marik."

"I want to know that too." Malik added.

Tanith smiled, "When I was back as Akunadin's apprentice, I was only allowed to learn one spell. Reflect. The guy wanted to make sure that I could at least work some other sort of magic."

She chuckled then sighed, "Anyway, I was planning on just reflecting Marik's own spell back at him thus sending his mind to the Shadow Realm but then I had a little help and _that_ was what separated Marik and Malik. Who it was, only Ra knows. Heck it might have been Ra. I don't know and I don't want to know."

"Good, I don't want you pulling any more yamis from people." Bakura told her. Tanith smiled faintly.

"You sound just like Master."

Bakura looked at her and smirked then muttered, "You have no idea."

Just then, a nurse came in and announced that visiting hours were over. As everyone milled out of the room, Bakura and Tanith shared another secret look.

_If he does any thing to you, and I mean any thing, call me._ He told her through their link.

Tanith nodded and the tomb robber finally was ushered out of the room.


	15. The letter home

Tea Gardner, Yugi Motou, Joey Wheeler, Tristan Taylor and Yami

In care of: Turtle Game Shop

Domino City

___________________________________________________________________

_Dear my Domino Friends,_

Egypt is almost just as I remember. Beautiful, warm and sunny. Ryou says it's too hot and already he is sporting a lovely sunburn in a very flattering shade of pink. Bakura and I have no such problems. Enclosed with this letter are the charms I had made that, when combined with my boys and my own charms, will form a circle with these words inside: This circle of friends can not be broken_. Like the silver the charms are forged with, our friendship has been forged and strengthened by fire._

Enough mushy crap. Back to my home away from home.

I enjoyed the many new sights I've beheld on this trip with Ryou's dad. He even let me have a priceless statue of Bast I plan to showcase in my loft. Another addition to my house will be the newly dubbed Conniption II. Like her previous incarnation, Nippy is a gray calico kitten with gray eyes. Don't tell Bakura I told you this, but I caught him buying her a scratching post at a bazaar. This seemingly nice action came as a result of the infamous King of Bandits discovering my pet using his pillow to sharpen her dainty little claws. The post has a better and less messy effect.

I have finally beheld Bakura's hiding place of all his ill-gotten goods. It's very lovely and no, I will not tell you where it's at. It survived without being disturbed this long and it will stay that way…with a few additions to the collection when I get done writing this letter. Don't give me that look Yami (and I know you are). I used to steal money out of fountains and robbing a tomb once again is not any different. If people were dumb enough to leave money or valuables lying around, it is my responsibility to be smart and take it.

You'll never believe what appeared in the mail the other day. My email that is. (Croquet hasn't sent me my snail mail yet. It should arrive within a day or so) I do enjoy my laptop and wireless DSL… Anyway, I got an invite to Kaiba Corp.'s annual costume ball. And it says I can bring any one I want. Yes! I am bringing you and I have already bought everyone's costumes. Joey will be the wolf man. (Yes I am fully aware of all the dog jokes Kaiba will crack. But be happy to know the day after the ball, Seto will discover someone has left a very feisty Conniption in his bedroom without her prized scratching post) Again Yami will be a mummy (I couldn't resist an encore of the events that occurred on Halloween. I had so much fun tying the great one up and wrapping him up in bandages) Yugi will be Frankenstein and Tea will be his bride. (Yes I finally gave into coordinating your costumes. You two will be so cute together!) I had a thought of Ryou dressed up as a S&M dominatrix but he quickly blushed a dark red and told me very calmly no. So Ryou will be a pirate. Eye patch, leather jerkin, knee high boots and tights (so I can admire my boy's assets) Did I just write that?! Ignore that last line. Bakura will be a genie. (I couldn't resist showing off my yami's physique. You won't believe this guy's abs, they're like steal!)

As for me, I will be going as the one person that will shock everyone. It shocked Bakura when I let him see me in costume. I will be going as…myself… as I was in Ancient Egypt. A nice sleeveless shift that shimmers between dark blue and violet. Take my hair down and brush it out then add a touch of eye shadow and liner at the corner of my eyes and Tada! Instant jaw dropping. Bakura disappeared afterwards and came back with a gold choker and armband to add to the stunning look I had.

It promises to be a fun night.

I would ask how everyone is but I trust that you're all fine with the threat of Marik safely locked away, Malik contently somewhere in the Pacific on his yacht with Rashid and Isis and Pegasus happily running his business and painting pictures again. My favorite of the paintings was one he painted of a mini me with Diabound floating over my shoulder in a protective pose. It's being shipped from Duelist Kingdom to my loft. It will hang at the head of my bed and I will sleep very contently. Call me crazy but I'm going to sleep a lot better knowing the coolest monster in the world is watching over me.

Speaking of sleeping, that's exactly what my boys are doing right now. Technically they're passed ou ton the bed from all the alcohol they drank. (Shh, don't tell them I switched their glasses around when they weren't looking so they would get drunk while I laughed my head off sipping water) I really got a kick when a very intoxicated Ryou began belting out Broadway hits along with an equally drunk Bakura. I'll never be able to keep a straight face anytime I hear Phantom of the Opera again. By all the gods, they were funny! To add to the drunken fun everyone had, during a extremely off key version of If everI would leave you from Camelot, some one (Bakura, Bakura!) kept ad libbing.

"If ever I would leave you it wouldn't be in summer. Seeing you in summer I never would go. Your face smeared with sunscreen. Your lips that do exclaim that your face won't be a luster that puts ivory to shame!"

_There's more to the song but the crowd gathered couldn't stop laughing long enough for me to understand the rest. And not to leave my hikari out…_

"I dreamed a dream in time gone by when hope was high and life worth living I dreamed that Tanith did die! And then she popped up and now she's a dead eye."

_Seriously these boys need help with their Broadway songs. I dreamed a dream doesn't have anything to do with me and me being a crack aim with a frying pan. (The story on that is Ryou's father thought the four of us would have so much fun camping out on the desert next to the dig he's on. It was fun until a stupid lizard crawled into Ryou's sleeping bag. He had a fit and his screaming woke me up. Being the nice thinker I am, I grabbed the first thing available and cracked the lizard and Ryou with the frying pan. We haven't camped since)_

Well I better close this letter. Bakura is rousing and he is sure to make me pay for that little trick I pulled. And it was worth it!!

Your friend in Egypt,

Tanith Rivencroft 


End file.
